2022 - a new year and a new Voice

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

In my 2021 blog, we met Hilda Firestone, Helene’s first cousin once removed. This year, I will post entries from the diary she kept in 1912, when she was 8 years old. We will see life in San Francisco through her eyes.

Unfortunately I have not seen the original, only having a copy which was typed up decades later and given to my mother:

Hilda was born in Manhattan on January 12, 1904 and was named Claire. Her parents were Hilda (Helene’s first cousin) and Solomon Goldberg. A few weeks after her birth, her mother died and in her mother’s honor she was called Hilda for the rest of her life. She soon moved to San Francisco to be raised by her maternal grandparents, Jacob (Helene’s uncle) and Sarah Levy, and by their daughter Tillie. According to the 1910 census, Hilda lived with her grandparents at 1328 Pierce Street in San Francisco. The house no longer exists.

The undated photo below is the only one I have of young Hilda:

Here is the first entry in Hilda’s diary:

January 1, 1912

We had spinach, carrots and Tante Esther for lunch today and I hate all of them. Alma said it is wicked to hate anyone on New Year’s Day, so I asked her if I may hate them tomorrow. She said certainly not, and that made me sad. Alma told me that when I am more grown-up, perhaps I may be allowed to dislike spinach and carrots, but I may never even then, dislike Tante Esther. Maybe when I am grown-up she will be dead. She is a very old lady. Grandmother and Grandfather are polite to her, because she is blind, but I don’t think they would be if she could see. She is very mean, and ugly, very little, and fat, and has short hair like a wire-haired terrier, only a wire-haired terrier is prettier and nicer, well-trimmed or well-groomed as Uncle Milton says about his dogs and horses. When Tante Esther comes into a room, she rubs two fingers on all the furniture, then, she rubs her thumb on the two fingers to see if she can feel any dust. That is all I have to write today. Grandmother gave me this little pink book this morning, and told me that every day I must write something in it. I asked her why, and she said, “because.” I hate people who say “because.” Grandfather never says it.

I don’t know how much editing was done by an adult Hilda or other relative. Sometimes, she sounds far to knowing for her years. Perhaps she was mature for her age, living in a houseful of adults.

Trying to decipher the family tree created in 1997, it appears that Tante Esther may have been Esther Robeck, half-sister to Hilda’s grandmother who was born in the 1850s.

December 28

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a card from Helene’s nephew 18-year old POW Erich Zerzawy in eastern Siberia addressed to his siblings in Brüx, Bohemia. Later letters from the POW camp were sent on Red Cross stationery, so this was probably sent in 1916. The card had to pass through the censor in Vienna before being passed on to its recipients.

Beresowka 30/XII

Dear Siblings, Dear Grandma!

I am healthy and, despite my circumstances, doing fine. Unfortunately, I still haven’t gotten any news from you. But I continue to hope that you are doing well at home. In the new year we will probably see each other. I hope that you will write to Paul, Helene, etc. because I am only allowed to write two cards a week.

Farewell. Don’t worry about me. 1000 kisses.

Your Erich

This is one of the earliest letters sent from Erich as a POW. We saw what may have been his first letter in the December 12th post. The only thing I know about him is through these short cards and letters. Reading between the few lines, he appears to have been a very mature, sensitive, and loving young man. He rarely complains, and usually tries to be upbeat, assuring his family that he is fine and asking them not to worry. Rather, he worries about them. What a generous soul and what a tragedy that his life was cut short.

Like his aunt Helene who would be imprisoned almost 30 years later during a different war, one of the many privations he suffered was the limited number of letters he was allowed to send and receive. For a family that valued connection and contact, this must have felt like yet another torment.

December 26

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a postcard from Helene’s nephew soldier Paul Zerzawy to his family in Brüx, Bohemia.

#12

24 December, 1917

From the Christmas party with my closest circle of friends, your Paul sends you this greeting.

Robert, with his critical painter’s eye, will not be happy with the proportions of horse and rider, or of the person leading the horse. I can’t help it!

In the long letter to his family which we saw in the December 17th post, Paul wrote about the four good friends he has made at his new post. It looks like all of them signed this card. It is nice to see that he was not alone at Christmas while his family members were gathered together poring over his holiday letter.  

In general, Paul’s letters and cards are serious and business-like. Today’s card is short but full of fun – probably thanks to his friends and festivities. In honor of the holiday, he has chosen to send a card with an illustration on the front (albeit one for which he apologizes), rather than the usual army stationery.

December 17

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have the letter Helene’s nephew soldier Paul Zerzawy wrote to his family in Brüx, Bohemia which he promised in the October 15th post.

#10

Fieldpost 211, 14. December 1917 (finished 17. December 1917)

My dear ones!

The good news from our front here, which you must have heard with joy, has probably also reassured you that the pause in my letter writing did not signify anything bad. As I told you already by postcard, I was once again very busy and didn’t have much time or space to write. That is still true, as you can see from what I am going to describe to you.

Therefore, it is very convenient for me that when this letter arrives in Brüx, it will find all of you together, my dear ones. This way it will be easier for me to do justice to your wishes for more detail.

I will be so badly behaved and start talking about myself right away – it’s more convenient for me.

Since the 30th I have more or less told you the most important thing: that I have been ordered to join the machine gun company. I was not very happy about that. I had the most beautiful life imaginable. The Russians have almost never fired guns, the Romanians very rarely, and even before the armistice, total calm was almost a matter of course. Until then, the outpost position was the only somewhat dangerous place because of artillery and mines, but now it was used for recreation. One had good food, warm shelter, little duty, saw some interesting things; whereas in Keseren one had to build all roads and positions, often in the middle of the night.

The Russians on the other side of the Seretz came very freely down to the riverside, and heard speeches and conversations which unfortunately we could not understand. During one such episode, someone (an officer candidate) shot at a neighboring outpost. He was dragged to the river bank and they beat him black and blue in front of our eyes. Discipline must be maintained!

During the night of the 30th, we saw that the people across the river firing an enormous amount of lightning ammunition: they celebrated the truce with fireworks and music. We didn’t hear about it until the next day and it only applied partially to our location. I would have loved to have spent the next few days in position with the company, but then came my orders.

I already wrote that in Keseren, I had a nice shack (which we had to fix up first) with electric light and almost entire windows and doors, as well as officers’ food, privileges, and my own orderly.

Anyway, I already knew about the announcement of the armistice here in B., positioned about an hour and a half behind the first line.

In six weeks, I am supposed to learn perfectly about a new weapon, in all its details, starting from the service of the lowest soldier up to the leadership of the machine gun company. Accordingly, my hours of duty are 6:30- 11; 2-5, 6-7. Partly lessons, partly the equipment, partly shooting. In all weather. For example, now there is bitter cold. Our winter equipment is spotless. Until the day before yesterday I had a bad room – especially because of a lack of light and wood for heating. The last is a very bad thing on our otherwise ideal front. Here there are no forests, the trees in the widely disbursed villages have to be left standing because they offer the only natural hiding places in this lowland, which is covered with grass and flat as a table. The only means of acquiring wood is euphemistically called “comandeering.” Since the day before yesterday, I have been living with 4 other officer candidates, which is a little better.

Hauptman Hladik is an active commander — not evil, but unrelenting.

Especially we who are platoon commanders-to-be are being challenged and must work very hard. Strict discipline, like in peacetime. My inspector is a deputy officer, a nice person. The food is – despite poor conditions and compared to the food with the Landsturm -- plentiful.

In the above, I gave a truthful description, but I don’t mean to say that I am badly off. I have settled in quickly, am healthy, and quite content.

Because: first of all, later I have the prospect of becoming a platoon commander in a machine gun formation, and to enjoy all the benefits granted to this kind of weapon.

Second, there is the need to study (we have also text books and specialist magazines here, even technical literature!) and the shaking up of my brain, which comes with that studying has been good for my brainbox which has been idling for too long. (By the way, a very interesting course of study)

Third, I have good comrades with whom to socialize. We 5 cadets that I already mentioned (1 Neuner – [perhaps also from Landsturm #9], 1 Viennese, 2 Trieste, and myself) are all of the same age, musically inclined, similar interests – we couldn’t have done better.

It’s a shame that it only lasts 4-5 weeks, because in the former Landsturm environment, despite its coziness and lack of adventure, in general people were too old for me. Now we have fun and we amuse ourselves with the civilian population (here there are some, but poor and downtrodden). If we have enough time, sometimes we have a few bottles of wine brought to us -- it is pretty good and cheap here -- and we have the gypsies play something. It is real carefree camp life!

At Christmas I must stay here! So, I cannot fulfill the wishes you have often voiced to be at home with all of you! My time will come in 4, 5, or 6 months. As much as I can, I will spend the holidays (we will not have much free time anyway) with the comrades who all complain that nowadays they are not receiving the same kind of shipments from their homeland as in former years, when it was a better situation back home.

As you may know, Romania is a fairytale land from which you can easily send packages, flour and all other kinds of groceries to Austria. In the past, as a company the field troops were sent directly flour, peas, etc. Now these rations have been so much diminished that I cannot count on being given anything in the near future. A second way is the buying of military central food supplies for officers. I have already gone there and spoken in our central food depot (Landsturm #9) and with a lot of effort I have been promised a little bit of flour and peas. But unfortunately, I was called away before.

The third way: shopping with civilians. Here there is not much to be had. I want to see if I can bargain for a few things, when the direct purchasing and appropriation officers go further into the interior. It is also difficult to get boxes and flour sacks. Then also (hopefully only temporary) the barring of “packages to home.” I’m deliberately not asking for money for this purpose, because there I don’t want to take on a promise which I can’t keep. If I am really hard up, I can always borrow something. My own needs until now have been met with my pay. Of the money that I took with me from Leitmeritz, there remains for me after equipment, buying gloves, lightning articles, a small amount which most likely will be spent for our Christmas celebration.

This is all that I have to say about myself. Therefore, I will now answer each of your letters and cards:

Dear Papa!

The letter of the 28th of November, which was forwarded to me from Landsturm #9, made me especially happy because of the news of Erich’s promotion [?]. Hopefully, he will soon move into officer’s quarters and the days of his suffering soon will be over, should he still be in Russia.

I just don’t wish him to have to stick his nose in another time!

It also could happen to me on another front. Well, I expect everything with calm and confidence – in the end, the war will be over! The lack of newspapers, especially local ones, is really noticeable here – I learn about the news of the day too late. As far as money is concerned, I would be very grateful if you would send me a small money reserve. It is not necessary because I do not require more than I get paid, but I had many expenses in Morganda and on the trip, so that most of the money I received in August from Robert, meaning from you, has been used up. I am very happy to hear that you are doing well as far as your service is concerned. Spend the vacation -- which according to others’ letters you will probably get – pleasantly, and please send me a few lines from there!

—-

Dear Robert!

One after another of your letters has arrived. Also, the one address addressed to FP 211 with a card from Erich, the last from December 8th. Many thanks for your detailed report!

Please give my greetings to all friends who ask about me. For example, Lido (is his address still FP 461/1?), Robert Ullman. I also ask you to write to Erich for me – I cannot write to him directly. I will soon send a letter to you to be passed on to him, thus far I haven’t been able to. If you want to send me something in a Fieldpost package, I ask for (depending on availability) candles, cigarettes (better in a letter), a (yellow) cadet collar rosette, stationery (the same quality as this). Of course, it doesn’t have to be. Do you have new photos or drawings which you could send me? How about your law and language studies? Write always what you are doing and how things are going. I enjoy every letter and am only sorry that I can’t answer as often as I would like.

—-

To my dear Käthe: I thank you for your many cards, you will find all your questions answered in the first part of this letter. I expect from your conversation with Papa, the final resolution of the difficult question, Srachatitz [?] or not? Unfortunately, I cannot picture how it has been going for you since that first unpleasant time, because the first detailed letters were missing and the cards were silent concerning the most important issue. Maybe we will catch up?

The fact that dear Grandmother insists on writing long letters to me is proof that she thinks and worries about me more than I deserve.  I have confirmed your letter to Morganda, haven’t I? Did the answer not arrive?

 —-

Dear Helen!

You too will be in Brüx when these lines arrive and I hope you will find everyone healthy. I thought that you had fallen ill when you moved, but then came your letter of the 10th and two packages with 4 [lottery tickets? Treats?] The gloves have not yet arrived. My dearest gratitude for these things! Only after I sent you my requests did I realize how difficult it is to get these things. This comes about because of the ignorance which is common in the field about the difficult conditions back home! We just say: send it! I hope that at least the money got there?!

—-

I wish all of you a happy vacation and holidays. I don’t have to tell you how much I would love to be there.

During this time, think of me, Your son, brother, etc.

Paul

This is the longest letter I have from Paul. It is the only one on which he numbered the pages, which was very helpful as we tried to figure out the order of other letters that had not been kept in proper order. The writing convention at the time was to start with a single sheet of paper, fold it in half, begin writing on the right-hand side, turn the page over and write on each half, and then return to the front page and finish writing on the left-hand side, for a total of 4 “pages”. That was easy enough to decipher if the letter was a single sheet, but when the letter went on to several sheets of paper and was in old German script, it was impossible for my archivist and I to determine the order of the pages when we were first organizing the letters. In the case of today’s letter, Paul completed 4 sheets of paper as described, and finished writing on a smaller, lined piece of paper front and back:

Paul corroborates the information I’ve read about the Landsturm regiments – that they generally consisted of older men and were less likely to see action. For some reason, Paul spent most of the war in such a unit. The timing of Paul’s reassignment to a machine gun regiment was fortuitous. This Wikipedia entry describes the ceasefires and subsequent armistice between Russia and the Central Powers (Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, Germany, Ottoman Empire).

Although I don’t quite understand what Paul said about his brother Erich, who is at this point in a Russian POW camp in Siberia, he certainly hopes that Erich’s life might now be easier that with the armistice, and perhaps he will be released. The fear remains that upon returning home, Erich could be sent to serve a different unit.

Paul is already thinking about how to provide flour for his family – as we saw in earlier posts, in Fall 1918, he will send many kilos home to provide them with sustenance in the lean times to come. 

It is interesting to read this letter the day after we saw a letter from Paul’s cousin Harry more than 25 years later – they both talk about studying technical material and how it helps to keep their minds sharp in the midst of what is often a boring existence.

We saw this 1921 self-portrait by Robert in the June 30th post:

There is so much more to say about this letter, yet it speaks for itself. I love thinking about my grandmother and the rest of the family passing Paul’s letter from person to person and reveling in every detail – almost as if he is there with them.

December 15

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a postcard from Helene’s nephew -- soldier Paul Zerzawy – addressed to his brother Robert Zerzawy in Brüx, Bohemia.                                   

Fieldpost 211, 14. December 1917

Dear Grandmother, dear Robert, dear Käthe!

My letter, which describes all my recent experiences in great detail, is almost ready. This letter will be sent as a circular letter. I hope that you all will be sitting around the Christmas table when it is due to arrive in Brüx, so that the letter will not have to be passed on to Przemyśl and Vienna. Käthe’s cards of November 19, December 5 and 9 have followed me and I received them today. I am healthy.

Kisses,
Paul

Paul is quite playful in addressing the card, calling himself a cadet in waiting and his brother Robert “Mr. Lawyer.” We will see the promised letter to everyone in the December 17th post. He calls it a “circular letter” – something that should be distributed to multiple recipients. Paul gives us a warm and happy image of the family together for a holiday meal.  His father was stationed in Przemyśl and his aunt Helene was in Vienna.

December 12

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a postcard from 18-year old Erich Zerzawy, a POW in Eastern Siberia, to his siblings in Brüx, Bohemia. Although the year is illegible, it must be December of 1916, because later letters from Siberia were sent on Red Cross cards.

12 December 1916

My dear ones!

Although I haven’t gotten anything from you until now that brings me news of you, I do hope that everyone is fine at home. I hope Robert won’t leave home soon which is what one generally believes here. You or dear Papa have probably already sent me some money. If not, he will take care of it. Send packages well packed — smoking materials, small useful objects, books, etc. It’s best to send this as a Field Post package of 35dkg. It takes about 4 weeks. I hope now to hear from you soon, maybe for the New Years. Stay healthy,

Erich

In the July 14th post, we saw a letter from Erich before he was captured, so he has been a prisoner for less than six months.  His father and his brother Paul is a soldier; his brother Robert was now 17 years old and eligible to be drafted into the military. Erich sounds lonely and forlorn as the holidays approach: he has not yet received letters or care packages from home. How happy he must have been when the first letters arrived!

December 4

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have two numbered cards from soldier Paul Zerzawy at a field post in Romania to his family in Brüx, Bohemia. We saw #4 in the November 29th post and #3 in the November 24th post.

#5                               

2. December 1917

Dear Robert!

On certain parts of the front, there has been a ceasefire since yesterday. It is not yet everywhere in our section, but it has stopped here too. Starting tomorrow, my address is:

Machine Gun Course, Captain Hladik,
Fieldpost 211

Your Paul 

#6                               

In the field, 4. December 17

Dear Robert and dear Grandmother!

Above is my new address. After finishing my service (6-8 weeks), I will probably be moved to a machine gun company. For now, I do not know anything except that there is work to be done from 6am until 8pm. The prior idyllic living is over. You don’t go fishing in the Severs without being punished! Well, it will hopefully work out!

Your Paul

I assume the sentence about fishing is a variation on an old saying. Paul assures his family that all is comfortable and calm in the letters dated December 2nd and earlier, but he is far less sanguine in today’s correspondence. Like his brother Erich writing from a POW camp in Siberia, Paul tries to sound as upbeat as possible so as not to worry his siblings and grandmother. But it’s not hard to read between the few lines to appreciate that he is nervous about what the future holds.

November 29

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have the 4th letter from soldier Paul Zerzawy to his brother Robert in Brüx, Bohemia. Paul indicates that this is his 4th letter from this location. We saw #3 in November 24th post, and #2 (and presumably #1) in the November 9th post.

Fieldpost 211, 29 November 1917

#4

Dear Robert!

I have received both of your postcards (#1 and 2) of the 23rd and 24th, thank you very much. I have been assigned to the machine gun course, most likely under the same Fieldpost number, and I will depart for there on the 3rd of December. It is about two hours from here and you can reach it by horse cart. I will send the exact address later. Meanwhile, send important news twice [to both the old and new addresses].

I will be happy if I do as well in the machine gun course as I am here at the moment. For days there has been an idyllic calm. Once again, rumors of peace. Greetings and kisses to you and Grandmother, your dear

Paul

As we saw in the July 27th post, in 1916, Paul was assigned to the statistics office. As the war progressed, it appears the army needed more soldiers at the front lines. His mention of traveling to his new post in a horse-drawn cart reminds us that in 1917 the world was much closer to the 19th Century than it was to the 20th. As he often does in his letters, although Paul assures his family that all is fine — even “idyllic” — I imagine it was anything but. Like with Vitali’s experience at Gallipoli, I wonder how the war changed him and affected the course of his life.

November 28

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we see one of the first letters I asked Roslyn to translate. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, when I first found the stack of World War I letters, they seemed like an interesting artifact, but unrelated to my immediate family’s story. I changed my opinion when I saw this letter from 19-year old POW Erich Zerzawy in eastern Siberia to his aunt Helene in Vienna.

28 November 1917

Dear Helen, the usual birthday greetings.  I wish for the only thing I can wish for in my situation – to see you again soon after a long, sad time.  And the prospects for this really aren’t so bad! But nobody knows anything for sure, that is the only sure thing.

If it makes you happy on your birthday, I want to reassure you, as I have done many times, that I am fine.  I think it must be the same for you; I know you!

Greetings and kisses from your old […?] Erich

This was the first evidence I found of Helene living in Vienna before my mother was born. Now I had the address where she lived while she was single. Salzgries was in the Jewish quarter, about a mile away from her eventual home on Seidlgasse, where Eva and Harry lived as children.

Like the Red Cross letters Helene sent during World War II, prisoners were not allowed to write long letters. The warning on the top reads: “Do not write between the lines!” Space was limited, at least partly because censors wanted to be able to easily decipher what was written.

Like Erich, I wish that he had been able to see his aunt and loved ones again, and to live a long and happy life. What a sweet boy, remembering his aunt’s birthday and thinking of her comfort and happiness. He unknowingly foreshadows Helene’s husband’s words to her from Buchenwald that we saw in the September 10th post. Both prisoners tried to reassure Helene that they were fine and were confident (or pretended to be) that they’d see each other again. Tragically, that was not to be.

November 24

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a letter from soldier Paul Zerzawy sent to his brother Robert in Brüx, Bohemia. Although he still addresses Robert as a law student, by this time he knows that Robert has taken leave from his studies in Prague. As with letters Helene wrote in 1939-1941, family members have taken to numbering their correspondence to track whether and when letters arrive.

#3                               

Fieldpost 211, 24 November 1917

Dear Robert!

First of all, many thanks for the letter dated November 17th ( #1), which I received last night. You can see from the number of this letter that I have not written since the 9th, and here is the explanation. The last news I had of you was on the 23rd of October, almost exactly a month ago. Then, suddenly the connection stopped. Meanwhile, I received some news from everyone else a few times. But about you, I only heard indirectly from Papa’s letter, which I received on the 26th of October, that he thought you were sick. Then another letter came a few days ago from Papa,  already to this address, where he writes that he has not received any mail from you and only knows that you are in Brüx, and he is not clear about the reason for this. So, in order to be certain, I only wrote you the card from Morganda from the 2nd of November, then from Sink, from the 4th of November, and two which have been written here on the 7th and 9th of November. I wrote a detailed letter on the 14th, which I sent to Papa and I asked him to pass it on to you.

So, as you can see, I have been totally in the dark for more than a month about how and where you are, and I am still not somewhat confused about it (namely, regarding your well-being and your return to Brüx). Since I have not received your letter to Fieldpost 211 (with a card from Erich), I assume that it is most likely wandering around the 8 field companies. It would have been better if you had addressed it to Morganda. From there, everything reached me. But you were in no position to know that.

I am writing all of this in so much detail so you can picture for yourself how badly informed I am about my closest relatives. All the connections have been lost for me, and that’s why I am asking you to tell me again, starting with your enrollment in Prague, and about your current activities and plans. Have they fallen through? Are you waiting for an answer? What made you leave Prague? Are you all in a household together? I thought Anna had left by horse carriage? And now she is taking care of the housework for Grandmother? Does in fact Grandmother have any worries, since she is living with and getting her meals with Schleins? Have Käthl’s matters finally been settled?

I’m asking you such stupid questions, aren’t I? But, from those questions, you can see that I have no knowledge about the most important issues. Even though since our family has been dispersed in all directions, my letters home have tripled in number. However, the change in my position is partly to blame for this.

I am doing well in every respect. I am leading a life which is not much different from the life the officers are leading, except for the difference in pay. Every six or seven days, I am on duty as company officer of the day. Otherwise, I am lazy at the moment. With the current combat activity,or rather, inactivity, you do not have to worry about my safety for now. The Russians who are opposite us also are completely fed up with this situation.

I hope that our mail connection has been straightened out and will remain so, because in general the mail has been going okay. From Vienna, three days; from Prague, four days, from Brux and Przemyśl six days. Grandmother should excuse me for today that I only am sending her greetings through you. But in exchange, next time I will provide a grandiose description of the bombing of modern positional warfare: “Eastern Front in the Fall of 1917”.

Your loyal brother,
Paul

Paul mentions a November 2 letter sent from Morganda. He may be referring to his letter dated October 2. (see October 5th post). Perhaps he meant November when he wrote the previous letter – unfortunately I do not have the envelope with the postmark. We saw the letters Paul mentions from November 7th and November 9th in the November 9th post. I do not have the letter he mentions that was sent from Sink. Perhaps it never was forwarded from Prague with the others. In the November 16th post, we saw the “detailed letter to Papa,” stationed in Przemyśl.

Anna was mentioned in the April 29th post that included a photo possibly taken on her wedding day in 1915. I do not know how and whether she was related, but it’s clear she was an important part of their youth. I could not find her on the Zerzawy or Löwy family tree.

Paul mentions how long it takes for mail to arrive from each of his family members – his grandmother and Käthl were in Brüx, Robert had been studying law in Prague (until he moved home to Brüx), Helene in Vienna, and his father Julius in Przemyśl. In terms of distance, Brüx is the farthest at about 750 miles, about 500 miles to Vienna, and about 400 miles to Przemyśl. Although his father Julius was nearer than the rest of the family, like Paul, he is in the military and mail takes longer to reach its destination – perhaps due to censors on both ends. Here is a map showing where family members were living:

November 18

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we see a 1915 postcard from Helene’s nephew, Paul Zerzawy, to his siblings in Brüx, Bohemia.

Leitmeritz, 18./XI. 2am

We are busy reviewing and outfitting the regiment. My address: Paul Zerzawy….Division of Leitmeritz, New Artillery Barracks. Robert should immediately forward the package to me. In addition, woolen socks (shirt, underwear, socks), white linen (handkerchiefs and towels) and possibly food items.

As soon as my luggage arrives from Kezewitz, I hope to be able to write a letter.

This is the earliest letter I have from 20-year old soldier Paul Zerzawy. He sent it from Litoměřice, a town near Prague, where he had been a student until quite recently (see October 16th post). It appears that he quickly learned that little was provided for soldiers and asks for clothing and food to be sent, as he realizes that he will be hungry in the cold winter to come — note the added emphasis on his request for wool socks. It’s a very short note, without even a signature, perhaps because he was writing it at 2:00 in the morning after a long day in unfamiliar surroundings.

19-year old Harry sent his first brief postcard as a G.I. to his sister which he sent from Pacific Grove, not far from San Francisco (see April 6th post). Both Paul and Harry began their new lives close to home where they got oriented and prepared for whatever was ahead of them.  

I do not know where Kezewitz was or by what name it is now known.

November 16

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a long letter from 22-year old soldier Paul Zerzawy. It is addressed to his father Julius who is an officer in the army, stationed in Przemyśl.

Before the advent of the internet, international letters were often sent using “aerograms,” a single sheet of paper folded and sealed in a special way so that an envelope wasn’t required. This made for a lighter letter (particularly since the paper was quite thin), and thus postage was cheaper. According to Wikipedia, aerograms were created in the early 1930s when letters began being sent by air mail. However, we can see from today’s letter that the general design existed long before. Paul’s letter today is on a single page, which folds up so that the manila-colored parts form the exterior of the letter. 

Fieldpost 211, 14 November 1917

My dear ones!

Because of the lack of any news from you, I must start my letter by talking about myself and my experiences.

The evacuation was followed by a two-day march through unpleasant march through the rain-drenched, soft clay soil. The Romanian plains are more like steppes. Very little grows here and there are very few people – it reminds me of the most desolate parts of the Puszta. The division and the regimental command continued until we arrived late at night on the second day. There were about 50 men in the 7th company, which was in reserve in an abandoned village. Overnight, we slept somewhere very uncomfortable. The next day we were able to recover and look around. First Lieutenant Büchte is a very brave and good company commander. Then there are two lieutenants, two ensigns, and also my platoon commander Lehner, who is from Lower Austria. The whole crew is so mixed by ethnicity that the German character is almost gone: Italians, Poles, Croatians, Czechs, Slovenians, all make up a much bigger group than the Germans. Except for the Italians, they are mostly old veteran militia reservists. We were assigned to a dilapidated hut which we had to make habitable ourselves. It was assigned to three of us who were aspiring for promotion (we got promoted two days later) and one of our orderlies.

Human inhabitants (civilian ones of course) are not present anymore in this village, but instead flies and mice are in such quantities that you can hardly imagine. Except for the uncomfortable apartment, we live here almost like the officers. (One of them, named Motka, is from Trieste, and the other one, an elderly teacher named Bruscha, is the only comrade who is still with me since last Christmas.) We take turns doing our work. It now takes place mostly in the barracks, mainly in the construction of field positions. Now and then, one hears grenades from both sides flying overhead for half an hour, because we are near a howitzer battery; but you quickly get used to the little banging sounds. Otherwise, it’s pretty quiet here on the entire front. Meetings with officers, issuing orders, and other duties fill the day. In the evening, we congregate in a soldiers’ recreation center, which unfortunately does not belong to our regiment. There, we have some distraction: reading, playing chess, a concert. This place is also very heavily visited. So, it’s not that bad in the reserves. By the way, there will be a change of position in two days. Possibly, we will have to take a turn at the outpost where it will be less idyllic. On the day of the position change, we cadet aspirants will receive officers’ food. The food of the enlisted men is not bad either. So all in all, I’m doing well so far, and I hope to hear the same from all of you soon.

Please do not interpret it as laziness on my part if I don’t write to each of you separately. With the lack of space and light, it is only possible to write at the recreation center, and there only for a short time. For example, this is the third day I am writing this letter. I always share everything that is important on postcards. If we manage to get into better accommodations, I will write letters to each of you personally, if possible.

I therefore ask you, dear Papa, to send this letter on to Robert, Käthl, and Grandmother. Please also give Erich news of my well-being and my address and write to him that I can no longer write to him directly, but only through you.

I will write separately to Helene, because I have to congratulate her on her birthday. And also, I have to ask her for gloves, candles, and flashlight batteries.

With many greetings and kisses, I remain your loving

Paul

There is a lot of information packed into this letter. Paul is in a reserve regiment, the Landsturm. Although Paul is just 22 years old, according to Wikipedia, these regiments usually were made up of older men who were not considered able to serve in the regular army. He describes his surroundings and situation in a light tone, presumably not to worry his family. But we learn that he is staying in a now-abandoned and ruined town with bombs bursting overhead on a regular basis.

Like  his brother Robert in 1966 (see yesterday’s post), Paul has not forgotten his Aunt Helene’s birthday, and will be sending her a separate birthday letter for her 31st birthday.

November 9

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have letters from November 7 and 9, 1917. They were sent from 22-year-old soldier Paul Zerzawy to his 18-year-old brother Robert. Paul playfully addresses his brother as “lawyer” because he has begun studying law in Prague.

Feldpost 211 7 XI 1917

Dear Robert!

I am giving you my current address so that I can soon learn why you have not written me recently. Right now, I am not able to write in detail. After 4 days full of wet weather and dirt, I finally arrived yesterday at about the place I thought I would end up. Overnight I was in a village which is our reserve position, and where our company will remain for another few days.

Before writing, I had to spend four hours this morning cleaning myself, my equipment and my military clothing from the excrement of two days of marching in Romania. I haven’t seen much of my new company yet.

From the first position, you can hear massive cannon explosions and very few rifle shots, so there is not very much going on right now. Please write in detail since for the past 14 days, I haven’t known what is going on with you. I will write as soon as I have time,

Paul

Card #2

9 XI 1917

Dear Robert!

Until now I am fine, I would just be glad to hear good things from you and the other dear ones. Yesterday I was promoted to sergeant. I will continue to number my postcards. Please do the same, and always confirm receipt. This afternoon I hope I will have time to write letters.

A kiss from Paul

One reason Paul hasn’t heard from his brother recently is that he had been writing to Robert at his law school address in Prague. That address is crossed out on both cards, with the forwarding address to their home in Brüx, Bohemia written in red. We saw in the October 3 post that Robert was doubting his law studies in 1918. Perhaps he was already feeling that way in 1917 and took a leave of absence?

Paul plays down any danger he is in, commenting on the uncomfortable march to his new position and mentioning the sounds of cannon fire as if it were nothing. He also makes nothing of his promotion – just a brief mention in the midst of the unceasing requests for news from the family.

November 3

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we see two letters written a week apart from POW Erich Zerzawy in Eastern Siberia to his siblings in Brüx, Bohemia. Mail is now taking three to four months to reach its destination, if it makes it there at all.

11 November ’17.

My dear ones!

To my great regret, I am once again without any contact with you. Only from Berthold’s, Roubitscheks, and Helen have I received answers to my cards sent in July. They all arrived at the same time. I’d really love to know what’s going on with you. How Paul feels like a hero in the field, Robert as a recruit, and Kätherl a future teenager! I can imagine how Grandma is proud of everyone, but is also worried about all of us. If that’s justified, well, let’s not go there. In any case, she is sure that we are trying our best. Today we have ice skating for the first time. It was hard work, as you could see from our sweaty faces until it was done. But it’s a very healthy activity. Hoping for all the best for you.

Your old faithful
Erich

18 November ’17

My dear ones!

Robert’s cards from August 10th concern me. You did not quite understand the letter to Ernst Sedlacek and worried about it unnecessarily. He thinks the team camp is everything except the officer’s camp. We first years live in a separate area which is even locked by a post. [?], so we are separated from the others and just among ourselves. This is not of any great importance, since all of the barracks are alike. I’ve already told you a lot about my work in my letters. Small jobs for ourselves and sometimes these are done by paid workers. Don’t lose your head over this! You can at least believe what I tell you as much as you believe others. Next week a letter again. Thanks to Anni Weis for the card. Sincere greetings and kisses. Your

Erich

As I mentioned in earlier posts, when I first began my family history journey, the Zerzawy brothers seemed very distant from and unimportant to me. I almost didn’t bother getting these World War I letters translated because I couldn’t imagine they had much bearing on my family’s story. How wrong I was!

Paul, Robert, and Erich were my grandmother’s nephews and thus my mother’s first cousins. Although they were the same generation on the family tree, the Zerzawys were a generation older than Harry and Eva, having been born in the 19th Century. Eva and Harry knew Paul because they were virtual neighbors in Vienna and he helped them make their way to San Francisco, where he also lived until his death in 1948. Robert apparently visited now and again, but wasn’t the constant presence in their lives that Paul was. Erich died in 1918, before Eva was born, so they only knew him through family stories and photos. By the time I was born, only Robert was still living, and he died in England before I was 10 years old.

In the November 11th letter, 19-year old Erich tries to imagine the lives of his siblings, whom he hasn’t seen since joining the army. It’s sad to think he will never see them again. In thinking about his young sister, he uses an old slang word for a teenage girl: Backfisch – “fish for frying.” According to a blog about language, it has an affectionate, rather than derogatory, meaning. Wikipedia has an entry for “Backfischroman,” a type of novel that was written for teenage girls. 

Although Erich talks about having written to the family about the work he did in the POW camp, the letters we have don’t tell us much. Perhaps those letters were lost or censored.

I always like seeing my grandmother Helene mentioned. It allows me to imagine her as an unmarried woman living in Vienna, separated from her mother and her sister’s children in Bohemia, but remaining close to all of them in spirit and in letters.

October 27

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have a letter written by 20-year old soldier Harry Lowell in New Guinea to his 23-year old sister Eva in San Francisco.

New Guinea
October 28, 1944

Dear Eva,

With the war in Europe coming gradually to an end and with the probability in view that I’ll be here in the Southwest Pacific area still, even if the war over there should be over, I am sending in this letter a few instructions and suggestions concerning mother and father. My suggestions will probably correspond with your own ideas about the matter; however, we’ll save ourselves a lot of delaying correspondence in the future if I summarize now all the steps that’ll have to be taken immediately after the completion of the European war. First of all, determine the exact whereabouts of our parents (thru the Red Cross) and, after you have received word of them, send them as much money as is permitted by authorities (probably about $200). If you haven’t got it, try to borrow the amount to save time and let me know right away so that I can send you a money order for the amount sent. Furthermore, advise me of any transaction involving money; be very careful not to fall for any phony or fake relief societies or other possibly shrewd enterprises. (Just a warning, old girl.) Don’t fail to consult Paul about anything if you are not sure about things, he is experienced; also, be sure to consult me, too. I will meet all expenses for transactions, fees, traveling, etc.

Just send me a detailed request. (In case anything should happen to me, you’ll be the recipient of $10,000 which will be paid to you in monthly installments of about $50. On the face of that pension, it would be easy to obtain a large loan if necessary.)

As to the question of support, it’s needless to say that we’ll be able to support our parents. Moreover, stress in the application the fact that father and mother will not accept any work nor in any other way will constitute an economic or social burden (whatever the legal terms may be) to the government. Be sure to mention this because it’s one of the main factors that delay and hold up the processing of applications. I guess you know all the steps that have to be taken in making out applications, affidavits, etc. Let me know if you want me to make out a letter of authorization to authorize you to sign my name. Well sis, you’ll have a job on your hands when the time comes, but I know you’ll carry it out successfully despite the few difficulties you may have to overcome. Keep me posted on everything that you do.

Now that the business part of my letter has been completed, I’ll proceed with the answering of your letters (which I have been receiving quite regularly, save for the last month and a half). I’m glad you finally had a picture taken and I am looking forward to it. (It’d better be a good one!)

As far as that job as a plantation nurse in Hawaii is concerned, I’d advise you to stay away from it for various reasons (other than the ones already mentioned) Your place should be in the states while I am so far off. I’ve spoken.

I was surprised when I read of your experience at the blood bank. After three years of blood-curdling events at the hospital, you weaken at the loss of a pint of blood, tsk, tsk! In regards to your sunburn, I cannot say that I am surprised; as far as I know, it happens to you every time. If it weren’t for the fact that you are my favorite sister, I would trade you in for a radio or a twenty-acre farm. You’ll never learn, will you?

Apropos radio, the other night I listened to Radio Tokyo. After an hour of entertaining (to the ridiculous) propaganda, they broadcasted the performance of “La Bohème” in Nipponese. What a treat that was! In imitating the Met they failed; they murdered that poor little opera thoroughly. 

I don’t think I’ve told you of my postwar plans yet. Here goes. According to the soldiers Bill of Rights, I am entitled to a scholarship at any college for the period of my service in the army, not exceeding four years. Well, my plans are rather Spartan, indeed; it’ll be two or three years of self-discipline and abstinence from worldly pleasures. (What prospects!) I’ll work full time at night and attend college in daytime, which leaves me about ten hours to divide between study and sleep. What do you think of your brother now? (Ain’t I the one though?)

“Gaudeamus igitur, inverses…” – however, it seems that I will not take full advantage of my youth, though that it, I won’t have time to “Sow my wild oats” as is customary for a chap my age. In the future, if you want to see me, you’ll have to either come to my place of employment at night or to watch me sleep during daytime. I’ll be known then as “Harry the unavailable.”

I am expecting your opinion and approval of my plans in your next letter.

I just thought of something you could send me in a package, namely, two pairs of swimming trunks (32), an assortment of dehydrated soups (there is some brand that is sold in a tin foil package. No canned soup!). If there is some room in the box, add a few cans of sardines to it. We make life here more bearable by frequent pot luck picnics; up till now, all I brought to the picnics was a big appetite. (By the way, the fountain pens you sent a long time ago haven’t arrived yet.)

Well, that’s all my pet,

With love,
Harry

P.S. My new address is on the envelope.

Today’s letter reminds us how quickly Helene’s children had to grow up and that they were not unaware of how much of their childhood was lost. Harry ironically quotes Gaudeamus igitur, an academic and drinking song – given the responsibilities he and his sister are taking on, he acknowledges that he won’t have a chance to sow any wild oats.

By October of 1944, Eva and Harry had been separated from their parents for five years. For the first two years, everyone believed that they would be reunited soon. By the end of 1941, especially after the U.S. entered the war, it was clear that a reunion would not happen anytime soon. From 1942-1943, only a few brief Red Cross letters were exchanged between Vienna and San Francisco. As we saw in the October 15 post, Helene and Vitali were arrested and deported to Ravensbrück and Buchenwald in 1943. By the end of 1944, success by the Allies in Europe seemed not far off. Harry writes to Eva today to make sure they agree how best to expedite their parents’ arrival in America as soon as that might be possible.

Earlier this year, we saw letters where Harry tries to talk his sister out of accepting a job in Saudi Arabia. Today it is Hawaii. Eva dreamed of an exciting life working as a nurse in some faraway place and wanted to emulate Harry’s escape from the expectations of their San Francisco relatives.

Harry has been requesting a photograph from his sister for a few months. We saw the likely portrait in the September 12 post. In the January 21 post, Harry also wrote “Ain’t I the one?” – he must be referring to something familiar to them both, but unknown to me. 

A curtailed childhood is echoed throughout the generations. According to my grandmother’s memories of her family history, her father was born in a small Bohemian town with little to offer. Helene wrote: “One fine day, the oldest son Adolf, then 10 years old, packed his bundle to be off. He had neither money nor any idea where to go but for the fixed plan to go to school wherever he would have an opportunity. At random he chose the road toward Pilsen. At that time there was no railway, but even had such a transportation been available, he wouldn’t have had the money to pay for his fare. He was very tall for his years and didn’t show his age which made it easier for him to get a job which enabled him to attend high school. It was in Pilsen where he found the work he was looking for, as helping hand on the night shift of a liquor factory. He received room and board and some spending money and had so the opportunity to get through high school. Having finished that part of his education, he went on foot to Prague and registered at the college for teachers.”

Helene wrote stories about her own youth, including several chapters that she titled “Child Without Childhood.” Bilin’s rampant anti-Semitism and her sister Ida’s early death forced Helene to grow up quickly. In the World War II letters, we see how quickly Eva and Harry had to grow up.

Interestingly, despite much easier life circumstances, Harry’s son Tim couldn’t wait to grow up to seek adventure. Like his great-grandfather, as a teenager he looked older than his actual age and began working on fishing boats at the age of 12. 

October 22

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we see a typed letter from 20-year old soldier Paul Zerzawy, who has been in the Austro-Hungarian army for almost a year, interrupting his university studies (see October 16th post). He is writing to his 17-year old brother Robert, a high school student in Brüx, Bohemia. It amazes me that letters with no street address arrived at their destination. According to Wikipedia, the population of Most (the Czech name for Brüx) was more than 48,000 in 1910 and almost 52,000 in 1921.

LT.0109.1916 (1.2) front.JPG
LT.0109.1916 (2.2) back.JPG

Belgrade, 23 October 1916

My dears!

You can imagine what a joy it was for me to receive Robert’s telegram!  Unfortunately, the address is so garbled that I cannot write to Erich right away.  Please be so kind as to send me Erich’s address and all such details in a letter, if you haven’t already.  Nothing new here, date of my return isn’t determined yet. 

Paul

 The ink stamp on the address side of the postcard says Imperial and Royal (K. u. k.) Military Government in Serbia, Statistical Office. According to a stamp collecting site, “K.u.K. stands for "Kaiserlich und Königlich", ie "Imperial and Royal". The authorities responsible for common affairs acted "imperially and royally". All agencies of the Foreign and the War Ministries thus carried the abbreviation "k.u.k.", whereby the first k stood for the Kaiser (Emperor) of Austria, the second for the King of Hungary…. In the event of mobilization or war, the "k.u.k. Feldpost" swung into action. The army was k.u.k., so likewise the field post offices, the communication lines behind them, telegraphy, the entire vehicle fleet etc. This is simply because the Fieldpost was responsible to the War Ministry acting for both Austria and Hungary, and it directly to the Emperor-King.”

We saw correspondence from brother Erich in yesterday’s post. We saw the only letter I have from Erich written in 1916 in the July 14 post — perhaps he is referring to that letter. Or perhaps he has been captured and sent to Siberia, and the correspondence Paul refers to was the first they had heard of his fate – the first letter I have from Erich as a POW from January 1917.

October 21

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we have two letters from October of 1917 sent from 19-year old POW Erich Zerzawy in eastern Siberia to his grandmother, brother Robert, and sister Kätherl in Brüx, Bohemia.

LT.0085.1917 (1.2) front.JPG
LT.0085.1917 (2.2) back.JPG

14./X.17.

My dear ones!

I just received Kätherl’s card from July 22nd. You can believe that it doesn’t exactly put my worries to rest about your health, when Kätherl does something different like getting pulmonary epicitis [perhaps catarrh of the lungs?] again. I am not entirely satisfied with Robert either. Erich would set a good example for you, because the fellow enjoys the best health. But you may be assured that I’d rather lie around in the chaise longue with you. So, get better. With a thousand kisses, especially for Grandma who doesn’t write to me at all anymore,

Your Erich

LT.0097.1917 (3.3) envelope.JPG
LT.0097.1917 (1.3) front.JPG

Beresowka 21/X.17

My dear ones!

Recently, I have at least heard some news from Brüx, although it’s been rather spare. But I hear so little from Papa; I know that Paul is forbidden to write to me directly, so you’ll have to let me know how he is doing. It is my most sincere wish that he is doing fine.

Robert’s new medical exam also does not make me very happy. Because if they keep him, what happens then at home? How do you think the September physical exams turned out? I found out about it in fact from a card that I got from the Rosner family on August 1st.

I regret that I cannot send my thanks personally for the very nice card, but you know how it is. But I do thank them very much, and let me do it through you. You can imagine how much it makes us happy here when we find out that old acquaintances remember us. Franzl Reh in Neumarkt — please greet him for me, Robert — he is the only one of my colleagues who has written to me. Here where I am nothing has changed, everything is just as it was, only that the season is changing. We now already have very cold days and it’s also snowing. In fact, the winter is beginning. We now will be shut in again for a few months, vegetating in the bad air in the barracks until the nice days come again and we can go outside without fear of freezing to death. Then it will be summer again, winter, and I just don’t know how long it’s going to take. Many people have given up hope of this ending anytime soon, me too. No matter how much one used to cling to every glimmer of hope and cherish the firm belief that it would be over, now we are pretty much convinced of the opposite. Maybe a new upswing will come, but nobody really knows if that will actually lead to peace. Be that as it may, eventually the time will come where etc., but I wonder if everyone will be fortunate enough to come home? So many have already really lost hope, and who knows what the others will be doing if some change in our situation does not happen soon.

Please greet everybody from me. Sincere kisses a thousand times.

Your
Erich

I have 31 letters written by Erich between 1916-1918. The card from July 14 is the only one written while serving in the army, all of the rest sent as Red Cross correspondence from the POW camp in Beresowka. The letter dated October 21 is the only actual letter – all the rest are postcards.

There were 5 Zerzawy siblings: Paul, Klara, Erich, and Robert were born to Julius Zerzawy and Helene’s eldest sister Ida. After Ida’s death, Julius married her younger sister Mathilde and young Käthe/Kätherl was the product of that marriage. Mathilda died in 1910 and Klara died in 1916. At the time of this correspondence, Julius and Paul were soldiers and not able to correspond directly with Erich. Robert had recently turned 18 and might find himself drafted at any time, leaving sister Kätherl and their grandmother alone and with few resources. Despite his own dire situation, Erich is has more concern for his family’s welfare than his own.

Although both the letter and postcard bear censorship markings, Erich apparently felt more comfortable writing about his own uncomfortable situation in the letter – perhaps knowing that the envelope kept the contents away from prying, but unofficial, eyes? This is the first time a sense of hopelessness has found its way into his correspondence.

October 20

Link to Family Tree to understand family relationships.

Today we see a newsletter from October of 1962. This 8-page bulletin was for written by and for survivors of Ravensbrück. I was surprised when I first came across this document among Helene’s belongings – I had never imagined that there might be an alumni newsletter for former concentration camp prisoners. And yet, it makes perfect sense – who else could understand and identify with their experiences? Today, it would be a Facebook group – in fact, in preparing today’s post, I found that there is a group with that name! The newsletter continues to be published.

0295p1Ravensbruck.png

Unsurprisingly, Helene was traumatized by her time in Ravensbrück, and it haunted her for the rest of her life. She referred to her experiences in some of her letters from Istanbul in 1945-1946 and in some of her memoirs. She felt close to women who shared her experience, continuing her correspondence with some of them at least into the early 1960s. There is a letter from Helene to Lucienne Simier and one from Lucienne to Harry, and a poem dedicated to Helene from Gemma La Guardia Gluck, and artwork by Jeanne Letourneau.

The human need for connection and communication is incredibly strong, and people will do everything they can to reach out to loved ones, especially in the darkest of times. As we have seen, family members found ways to contact their loved ones from a Siberian POW camp during World War I, from Vienna to the U.S. while the countries were at war, between the death camps. Nothing could quell their quest for contact.