Free Diary of Annie's War by Annie Droege Page B

women left but yet there are so very few. In some things one hears you can fancy you are among people of the early ages. Perhaps these are reborn again and are from the time of the Barbarians. Surely never before in the age of Christianity have the people said such things that we hear today.
Sunday 7 th February.
    A great day all over Europe for peace – in the Catholic churches of course. I do not hear much of the Protestant.
    I hear today from a lady that she had a letter from a nephew in England, a German, and he says that only two thirds of the Germans are prisoners and that the remainder are free. I wonder if this is true. At the time of Arthur’s arrest the papers here said that even people up to sixty years of age were imprisoned in England and that their wives and children were in dreadful poverty.
Monday 8 th February.
    Today the papers announce they have lost a few shooting graves in France. This is the first time they have announced their losses. They also say that a terrible battle is raging in Poland. A battle the like of which the world has never been seen before. There are so many people in it. I forget how many Germans are there but it is enormous.
    We hear there is a great to-do about coal in England for their use. They must mean a strike.
    The Socialists have had a meeting and say the war must go on to the bitter end. Here they are confident of victory and we are anxiously awaiting the 18 th .
Tuesday 9 th February.
    There is serious news today from the baker here. You can only get bread from the baker as no one else sells it. We are informed that after the 12 th of this month only so much per person is to be allowed. Each person gets a paper from her baker and she has to write how many people she requires bread for and she is told how much per day she can have and no more. It is to make the people eat more potatoes because they fear a famine in corn and they must have what oats there are for the horses. Indian corn or maize we have not had since September.
    Two thousand eight hundred men leave here today for Russia. Hindenberg, the General, says that they must take Warsaw at any cost of men and ammunition before the 18 th .
    Such a lot of Landstorm are called up. Poor fellows, I do feel sorry for them. They look bewildered. It seems that the Landstorm up to forty-five years old that had already done their military duty were called up at the end of November.
    The same aged men who for some reason or other had not done military duty were left until later. These are the men we see now. Many of them have scarcely seen a town. They are from far in the country and you can tell that by their clothing. They stop everywhere in the street to ask where is the address they must go to, for they know nothing of the place. Their language is so broad as we say, (‘platt’ here), that many of the people do not understand them. It is much more pitiful in a strapping man of forty-five than in a raw country lad of twenty.
    Today is just like spring. I went down by the river for a walk and heard such a lot of crows crowing and they were so busy building their nests. I sat down to watch them. It reminded me so much of the days I used to walk to Northenden to visit Mary Chandler. I used to stop and watch the crows there with little Winnie.
Wednesday 10 th February.
    Our men have gone to Russia. I heard them passing the hotel this morning at a quarter to five. People are up in this place at four o’clock. The soldiers went down in their twos and threes just like our men (English) going to the mills in the morning. And never a word was spoken. They all lined up outside the station. I got up to see a few hundred pass here. There is never any rejoicing or playing of music here over the war. The Kaiser said no music was to be played or cheering done until they came home victorious.
    Today we elected our new Bishop of Hildesheim. The late one was made Prince Bishop of Breslau in November and I went to the Dom for the