German photographs (1)
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The postcard above shows the German Kaiser addressing crowds on Friday 31 July 1914. The inset text on the card quotes some of his words as follows:
Der Kaiser Spricht
Eine schwereStunde ist heute über Deutschland hereingebrochen. Neider überall zwingen uns zu gerechter Verteidigung. Man drückt uns das Schwert in die Hand. Ich hotfe daß, wenn es nicht in letzter Stunde meinen Bemühungen gelingt, die Gegner zum Einsehen zu bringen und den Frieden zu erhalten, wir das Schwert mit Gottes Hilfe so führen werden, daß wir es mit Ehren weider in die Scheide stecken können. Enorme Opfer an Gut und Blut würde ein Krieg vom deutschen Volk erfordern. Den Gegnern aber würden wir zeigen, was es heißt, Deutschland anzugreifen. Und nun empfehle ich Euch Gottl Jetzt geht in die Kirche, kniet neider vor Gott und bittet ihn um Hilfe für unser braves Heer!
I don't know any German, though the similarities with broad Scots and some Scottish dialects helps me to understand some of the words. I initially used the AltaVista Babelfish translator to produce a (very!) rough translation, and worked on that to create a reasonable English version of the passage quoted above. Kind German-speaking visitors to these pages have since suggested improvements which I have used to refine the translation - my thanks in particular to Roland and Holger for their help! - and the following is now a reasonably good translation into English:
The Kaiser Speaks
A difficult hour has broken over Germany. Envious people everywhere force us to a justifiable defence. The sword is forced into our hands. I hope that if, in the final hour, my efforts to bring our opponents to insight and to peace do not succeed, we, with God's help will wield the sword in such a way that we can then, with honours, sheath it more firmly. A war would demand enormous sacrifices in property and blood from the German people. But we would show our opponents what it means to attack Germany. And now I bid you go with God to church, kneel before God and ask him for assistance for our good army!
The postcard is titled, on the reverse, Krieg Karte
and the frank (shown here on the right) indicates that the card was posted (or at least it was franked) between 9am and 10am ("9-10.V") on 16 October 1914 in Coswig (Anhalt), a small city (current population around 9,000) about 90 kilometres southwest of Berlin near Wittenberg (my thanks to Oliver Graf for deciphering the post mark, only parts of which I had been able to make out, and for emailing me with this information). The writing on the card is dated 15 October, and it is addressed to Frau Gerta Hermann, Hachenburg, Westerwald
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German photographs:
page 1 | page 2 | page 3 | page 4 | page 5 | page 6 | page 7
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Photographs used by kind permission of Mrs J Smillie. All rights reserved.
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© 2000-2005 Donna Smillie <dms@zetnet.co.uk>