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On one of the small pieces of weathered paper that came from Grandma was a very short description of the days that we were with the German Army Field Kitchen unit. Rosemarie-my wife and I remember Grandma- talking about some of the trouble that she had with the cooking unit personnel because she had lied about her cooking abilities. In the note that she has written as a short daily diary she states that she is beginning to loose her belief that she could like or make friends with foreign people. However she would try to work in the kitchen if she could find something to do there? I guess the people with the cooking unit gave her a rough time over her cooking skills. There were some other women with the cooking unit and I guess grandma had a run in with her (Alma???) and one of the German sergeants .Italicized text are my commentary notes and bold black are translations of my mothers notes Saturday October 14 (estimated date working backwards from the one date that is mentioned in the page as Oct. 26. Grandma mentioned days of the week and I counted dates backward from Oct. 26.)Washed the children -(Meaning me and my brother in the town of Asite)Black Peter Strauss did his laundry (Grandma had a habit of giving people nicknames and I guess Black Peter was one of them-at the end of the journal there are names she has written down and there is a Walter Strauss-maybe him-who knows.)(I have found a spot on the road atlas that I bought called Asite in the general direction of Liepaja .Sunday - October 15(estimated date) Washed laundry in Asite Monday - October 16(est date) Horrifying day in Asite (there is no mention of what the horror or danger was)Tuesday - October 17(est date) Arrived at a farmstead in Kurzeme. (region of Latvia). Owner of farm was rude and impolite. We slept on stonesThursday - October 19(est date) Alma (one of the German women) said "Good Day. I haven seen you in a long while" Is she sincere??-I am very reserved wary of her.Friday - October 20(est date) It is raining and suddenly we have to leave. An understanding with ??? (I believe some German soldier rank) and a misunderstanding with the head housekeeper. Wonderful evening says Alma. Sargeant Kuenicke (German sergeant who took us into the cooking unit) gave us his wifes address(in Lubeck)Saturday - October 21(est date) Life is taking on colors. (German soldier) Helmut says that he forgives everything.. If only the world had more such blessed people. I go to bedSunday - October 22(est date) My head wants to explode. I haven't slept for two nights. Ask "H" to sleep "Ja" In my heart there is an never ending worry. "Marschen" . The evening is with the head housekeeper. I have overworked. "cooking" Washing pants doesn't pay much. Monday - October 23(est date) Laundry work , socks, kitchen we can do anything. In the evening mending with a wonderful trio with the housekeeper. However Alma (the mysterious Alma) doesn't stop by.Tuesday - October 24(est date) There is news that we have to leave the day after tomorrow. (From this and what I read following this she definitely means that we will have to be separated from the field kitchen. Even though Grandma had some problems with the German soldiers she knows that we were relatively safer with the field kitchen.) I would like it better if the danger would not get closer and the winter cold and illnesses would pass us by. Helmut is kind, gives candy to the children and photographs us. German soldier??? doesn't stop by - stomach ache. The army officer advises that last night there was heavy bombardment of Liepaja. (where we are going). Alma didn't stop by. I sent her a small card.Thursday - October 26,1944 (this date is the only one the page. She did have days of the week for each entry and I counted backwards for the others.)I left home without tears but now "???? (can not understand)" At home remained three, but 'here' unloved stangers. but in a very loved month they became known and loved. I cried a lot sitting on the wagon next to J-----. Heart what have you not endured? Just now I realize that there will begin hard times as refugees. Where there will be nobody who cares what happens to us. We had one month without cares while carrying worried heavy hearts. But this worried time only lasted three weeks and was easy and flew by . Happiness about the flowering youth in which we see our children's uncertain future, the image of worries dies out when one can not hear the bombardment of Liepaja.We are in Krote and are waiting for a auto which will take us to the ship. Here also stands a field kitchen, maybe it will be possible to find work there and where there is work there is bread. (I was able to find Krote on the Latvian road atlas about 48 km outside of Liepaja) In the Journal of Herbert Buza on the website the first entry is for October 28 which is a Saturday. It all comes together somehow. From the previous paragraph I realize that Grandma never really expected to have to leave Latvia. She was ready and willing to do so if necessary but always retained the hope that somehow Latvia would be re-established as a free country without Soviet domination. I find it interesting that even with all the trials they went thru to get to the port of Liepaja, they didn't consider themselves refugees until they came to the realization that a foreign land was in their future. As long as they were on Latvian soil they weren't refugees. |