Diary of Annie's War (3 page)

Herr Steffen came, and we were glad to see him. He said he had come for a long stay as the war had stopped their trade. I was glad for Arthur's sake.

We had a card from James and he had a plan for getting away. We had heard that the route through Holland was opened so we wished him luck. The next morning there came a paper cutting from Mrs. Durselen saying that a number of English people had been arrested on the borders of Holland. They were trying to get away and had been imprisoned. We were very anxious over James for a few days. But at last came a card from Holland and we felt surer of him then getting home.

Things were getting quieter in our village but we heard rumours of a deal of talk against the English in the other villages. Each night we took more care of the doors. Emily and the children slept on the third floor and constantly said that they saw lights and heard people in the garden.

Herr Steffen also said that he heard people at his end of the house once or twice, but we never did. Several times Emily came downstairs and said there were people in the shrubbery, but we never saw them. However on the night of the 9th of September, the Wednesday after Herr Steffen came, I was fast asleep also Arthur. I heard a knock at our room door. I heard Emily saying: ‘Get up at once. There are people smashing windows and bursting in doors'.

Arthur was up in a minute and we went to the door of Herr Steffen's room. He was asleep. Though we could hear the glass crashing and the banging of the door, he never heard it. He at once jumped up and we all made our way into Arthur's room. The people were in front of the house and we could hear their voices. Herr Steffen asked Arthur if his gun was loaded. Arthur said, ‘only his revolver'.

We were in the dark for we did not want the people to locate the room we were in. In fact, I do not think they had any idea we were up. Now, from the time of the telephone affair, we had been given permission to shoot any one who came on our premises to annoy us.

In fact it was given out at church that if Herr Droege had been annoyed then he must shoot anyone who came in his grounds for an unlawful purpose. It was just a month that night since the telephone was cut. Herr Steffen made no bother over shooting anyone. He just took up the revolver and saw that the six chambers were full. He then opened the window and asked: ‘What are you doing there?'

The reply came: ‘Come out and we will kill you'.

‘Oh yes', said Herr Steffen and fired at once. They could not see exactly where he was for there are fifteen windows on that side of the house and we had no lights on in the place. He fired five times and then Arthur told him to keep one bullet in readiness. We waited, but no more noises were heard.

Arthur opened a window in his room and we could see the Steinoffs were up. So I called to them. They were afraid at first for they thought that the shots came from the garden but they felt safer when they knew they were from the house. We then had a good look around but could not see anyone. Emily, I and the children were in Arthur's room and the men went round the gardens and grounds. About a quarter of an hour later Steinoff's servant said she could hear men talking on the Harlainsen road. We came to the conclusion that they had gone there.

We telephoned the police and a reply came that the officer would come up in a short time. It was just a quarter to two when Emily awoke us and the officer got there at three. We were very disappointed to find it was a stranger. The officer we had over the telephone affair was a far smarter man.

The new officer heard our tale and said that he would cycle around and come again early in the daylight. He had the impression that it had been a few men out of the village. It was the reason that the dogs did not bark. That was a strange affair. I cannot yet understand it. Arthur had bought an English Retriever, a very well bred animal, and he was asleep in Arthur's room. In the farmyard was Dolar, a very good watchdog of Steinoff's, and by our door was Valder in his kennel. Not one of our animals had barked. It was only when the noise was over that we thought of them. They had to be brought out of their kennels. Lord, in the house, quietly walked about but never seemed to really waken up. It was a thing that surprised us all.

When we were quiet enough for a talk it seemed that both Emily and Marjorie had seen the men come in the garden. Emily said she had been awakened by a loud crash. She got up and went to the window to look out. She saw two or three men by the private gate and when they found it locked they went to the gate leading into the farmyard. This they placed open and then went to the little garden gate leading to our house from the farmyard. We had put a spring on this door so it would close. They then carefully unhooked the spring. One went to the door and commenced to bang on it and the two others commenced to throw stones at the windows.

We gathered over sixty stones the next morning and a few had gone through the window into the room where they first attacked. They had not cared to face the revolver and had soon cleared off. It was strange, but I had never really felt afraid. I think it is only when you are not sure of danger that you get nervous. I had felt much more nervous on the Wednesday when war was declared than I did when the men were smashing the windows. I knew this night what we had to face. I felt there was danger unknown.

As soon as the firing and stone throwing ceased I laughed to myself. It was the picture we made. Emily, the children and I were all standing in Arthur's room in our nightgowns and bare feet. Johanna ditto but she had put a dress on. Arthur and Herr Steffen had been in nightshirts and socks when running about with a gun and a revolver. It was a little funny to me. But no one else saw that side of the picture. I do not mean the occasion was a thing to laugh at. It was the figures we cut that made me laugh.

The children were terrified and it was a long time before they forgot it. One day they presented us with a piece of poetry they had written about the night. I am sorry it was put on the fire.

The police never found the men but I do not think it is any one out of our village. We heard afterwards that the same thing happened the first week of the war to a couple living in Bad Salzdetfurth. The shock had killed the wife of the man. They were French people but he had been naturalised a German and had been in the employ of the railway for over seventeen years. All their windows were broken in the night but the police never found the persons. And that house stood on a street. We came to the conclusion that the people came either from Sehlem or Salzdetfurth, two villages four and six miles away, but it is only our opinion. We never went to bed without the men having loaded guns.

After this we were very quiet and very busy for the fruit was ripe. We could not hire help to get it in.

Herr Steffen's niece came the Monday following and stayed two weeks so we were very merry once more. The three young people in the house kept us alive.

The three children did a deal of work in the garden gathering (and eating) fruit. For three or four weeks Arthur and ‘Uncle George', as we all called Herr Steffen, were very busy. Once in this time Arthur and Emily and again, Arthur and Herr Steffen and I, went into Hildesheim but it took us four and a half hours to get home. We were not anxious to go often. Theresa Steffen was with us for two weeks and then she returned to her grandmother in Hildesheim to await Herr Steffen going home.

About the middle of September we found there would be no going home this side of Christmas. It was decided to send the children to school. Many had remarked over their not going to school in the village and a child is not allowed to reside in a place more than six weeks without schooling. We wrote to Mrs. Graeinghoff and asked her to find a school for the children. Arthur and I thought of a boarding school but it was not possible. After a lot of trouble on the part of Mrs. Graeinghoff it was decided to send them to a private school and let Emily stay with them in a pension. It was very good of Emily to offer to do so. She could have gone to stay with her cousins in Elberfeldt – but she thought of the children.

We heard of the three English boats being sunk, the
Aboukir
,
Hogue
and
Cressy
. It was reported here that though it only happened at seven o'clock most of the men saved had only their night clothes on, and were asleep at the time. We said it was strange for men to be asleep at seven o'clock during war time.

We heard that a German flyer had thrown a bomb at the Eiffel Tower. We also heard of all the German victories in Belgium.

We got a letter from Johanna Pulmann (a cousin of Arthur) asking us if we had any news of England. She was very upset over her married daughter in London. She also wrote us that cousin Franceska, who we had visited in Brussels last November, has had to flee from her home. They had received no news of Franceska or her daughter-in-law for two weeks and then heard they had arrived in Holland.

Both their homes had been destroyed. Cousin Franceska's three sons were in the war for Germany and had been called up a week before the entry of Brussels. I suppose this fact had annoyed the Belgians. We were very thankful to find they were safe for we had often thought of them.

During the month of October we lived very quietly at Woltershausen. ‘Uncle George' and Arthur were very busy with the garden and fruit. I had enough to do with the cook being away.

We heard of many German victories also of the English ship ‘
The Hawk
‘ sinking a German boat.

Arthur and I went with the children to Hildesheim on a very early train, a quarter to six, and we had coffee in Hildesheim. We walked round and did some shopping for the children and paid a visit to Frau v.d. Busch. After dinner we saw the children and Emily on a train for Elberfeldt where they were to stay the night and then they were to go on to Königswinter. We saw a lot of soldiers going off to France and many fine horses. The men were very lively and sang their songs all the time they were in the station. We caught a train half an hour after them but it took us almost four hours to get home.

While Emily was with us she had written to a friend in Holland and had sent a letter to her sister. We were able to hear that all our people were well. Also that James was safe at home. We received in September a notice from the American Consul asking of the children and James. We replied that the children were safe and that James had returned home.

Uncle George left and we were sorry to part with him. It was quite a business getting him away for he took so much ‘livestock' with him - a dog, chickens, a duck and a canary.

The place was very quiet after he had gone. But we were busy with our packing and making ready to go ourselves. We had arranged to go to Hildesheim for a week or so, finish our business from there, and then go to Königswinter for the Christmas.

We had been under police surveillance since the telephone was cut and all our letters came and went through them. Of course they must be opened.

Arthur had business to attend to in Hildesheim on the 30
^th
of October so we decided to come in the town on that date. We settled up with Johanna. She had another situation to go to on the 1
^st
of November and left Woltershausen on the evening of the 29
^th
.

Things were much better in Hildesheim though there was, and is still, a very bitter feeling against England. Many of the shops have notices saying not to ask for any English produce. We had hardly got there when we were put under notice of the police.

We heard that the German prisoners were being very badly treated in England and some dreadful tales were told in the newspapers. Then we heard that Germany had sent word to England that if she did not release the Germans who were imprisoned then Germany would do the same with her English people. We awaited anxiously for the reply. We were very much surprised to read in the papers that England had only laughed at the message and said it was a German bluff and never answered at all.

By noon all the English people were arrested and imprisoned.

I had been very uneasy all week but Arthur had laughed at me and remarked that we had no need to fear. I reminded him of the fix I should be in if he were taken. I insisted on him going to the bank and getting a certain sum of money. He was not in any hurry to do so as he did not think for one moment that the Englishmen would be arrested. He also remarked that even if they did arrest the Englishmen then they would give the people a few hours notice to get ready. I asked him how he knew that. I drew his attention to the fact that this war was different to any other. Therefore he must not rely on what had happened at other times.

I was in a shop that morning and saw the police arrest a workman there. Belle was with me and we made enquiries. I learned he was an Englishman but had lived the best part of his life in Germany. In fact he could not speak English for he came here when he was only two-years-old. I felt very much alarmed and hurried back to the hotel. There they told me Arthur had not yet come in. I knew he had gone to meet a decorator at the house in Wörth Strasse so I awaited him. He came in about one o'clock and I at once said what I had seen. He said he did not think it would come to him but afterwards told me that a gentleman from the bank had spoken to him in the street. Arthur had replied that he must take his chance.

At a quarter past one we went into the dining room and I noticed how very quickly the dinner was served. They scarcely waited until we had finished the soup when the next course was on the table. Just as we finished the meal the waiter came and told Arthur he was wanted in the hall. I thought at once that it was the police.

Arthur came back in a few minutes and said that he must go away. I was not so much surprised. We went upstairs and hurriedly packed a few things. Herr Roeder, the proprietor, was very kind and told us what to pack and what to leave out. He said it was no use packing nightclothes but Arthur must have a couple of rugs and a pillow. These he found for us. In a quarter-of-an-hour Arthur was away. I just felt as if I was walking in a dream. I could not realise he was gone and I alone in a hotel. However, about three o'clock I went round to see Belle and after a chat I felt much more reconciled.