A treasure trove of old letters has recently come into my possession from another family member’s storage space. The letters are mostly from my mother to her parents, ranging from 1946 to the 1980’s. My grandparents in Germany had kept all those letters and after they died many years ago, two boxes of letters were sent to our family along with other possessions, shipped by container. My mother had a very close relationship with her parents, and even though we children grew up a continent away we also had a close relationship with our “Ami und Api” as we called them.
Back then when long-distance phone calls were rare and emails non-existent, they wrote letters, many letters! I have just begun looking at some of these, pulling them out quite at random thus far, and am amazed at this rich correspondence. These letters are like a journal from my mother, and all the more moving as they show what a close relationship she had with her family.
Food descriptions figured prominently in the post-war letters, especially the early ones from 1946 and 47. No wonder, as they went through very hungry times after open hostilities ended in 1945.
The second letter that I happened to pull out of the box is the one my mother (Editha – aka Didi – Schmilinsky) wrote while sailing across the Atlantic on her voyage to Canada in 1952. This was momentous, as it was her emigration voyage leaving Germany to begin a new life in Canada, joining her fiancé – soon to be husband – Otto Schaefer. He had emigrated one year earlier in 1951.
Almost all of Didi’s letters start with the complete date including the year, but not this one. Also, most of the letters are still in their envelopes with a postmark, but again not this one. It took me a few minutes to figure out when and where this boat voyage was, and when it became clear to me – what a thrill it was to be holding this particular letter in my hands!
Unfortunately the mice had got ahold of it, and the last page is only half there, but I’ll do my best to translate a few bits and pieces.
Tuesday, April 2nd 7 pm
Dear Parents!
Now we have the situation that everyone can eat as much of everything as they want, because about half of all passengers did not show up. Had 2 portions of fried liver at lunch, and just now enjoyed 4 portions of pineapple ice cream.
Since emerging from the channel, the storm is picking up. Windspeed 8 knots, and you feel like you are on Mars or on the moon, when you walk you sail 2 or 3 meters through the air, but just for a few seconds and then in the next moment your weight doubles again. Yesterday afternoon we were still basking in the sun, and today it is really hazy and stormy, raining on and off. Just now I almost fell off my chair.[…]
I went on the bridge, and from there you have a wonderful view. From there you can really watch how the big ship seems to dig down into the sea, and in the next moment the nose reaches into the sky.
Thank God everyone in our cabin is still well, or at least there have not yet been any foul messes.
Almost all passengers are emigrants, many from Swabia and Berlin (right now it feels as though we are on a derailing train, that is the wind shaking the ship as the bow goes up). Many are going to Toronto or Ottawa. The 6th bunk in our cabin stayed empty, as the Brit who was going to be there didn’t show up. Another thing about the emigrants: most are young guys, born 1937-38, who do not want to join the army. Also many youth from England.
The trip through the Channel was so interesting. For a long time I thought we are sailing into an English inlet, until finally I realized that France was to our left and England on the right. Excuse my writing things as they pop into my head, but there are just so many new impressions… Did I already tell you that I found my missing suitcase?[…]
Washing my laundry is easy, as there are sinks and hot running water plenty, and a drying room to hang it. I just remembered I want to take my black-and-white film that I filled up for developing – it should be ready in 2 days.
Friday the 5th.
The last two days were so wonderful, that I didn’t get to my writing. Wind and sea kept getting stronger. Midday today it was 9 knots, after that it got even stronger. I spent the whole day on a deck chair in a protected corner, wrapped in blankets, watching the fantastic drama of the waves. I am so glad to experience this – they say it is unusual. We are making slow progress and our arrival will be delayed.[…]
We are out of the warm Gulf Stream and today it was really cold. We have had hail and snow, in between sun, and the sea takes on the deepest of blues and greens. My hat flew away in a giant arc. Now I always tie my hood tight.
I don’t eat quite as much anymore, because I just can’t, but since I have the privilege of eating the remaining ice cream portions every evening, I will keep that until the end. I have never had so many days in a row of eating so well. Midday it is a 4 course meal, all kinds of appetizers, fish, meats, veggies and salad tidbits with complicated names, then soup, the main meal delicious meat, fancy potato dish, sauces, vegetable, then desert. Supper consists of 3 courses. In the afternoon there is coffee and cake. With every meal there is coffee, cream, sugar, white bread and butter (no dark bread unless you ask).
At the moment it feels like a truck driving very badly over cobble stones. [the handwriting shows it!] Of course every evening there is a dance – but I am not participating because there are few ladies there – and a movie. Last night I went to the movie, but I don’t think I will go again.
Maybe the prices will interest you. Meals of course are all free, part of the fare. Cigarettes (American, English, Canadian) 20 in a pack 15 cents, filter cigarettes 20 cents. There are some really very good varieties, also for our taste! (I never knew my mother to smoke☺︎)
continued Sunday the 7th, 8:45 am
1 glass of beer 15 cents, lemonade or Coca cola 10 cents. I can’t think of anything else right now, and it doesn’t matter anyway.[…]
Yesterday it was pretty cold, but I went outside anyway in the morning. It is a funny sight when 6 or 7 deck chairs go tumbling across to one side, and before the people can hold onto the railing there, they go sliding right back to where they came from. I spent the afternoon in one of the lounges, talking and playing cards. I met some people with whom I could travel all the way to Vancouver. In the evening I did go see a movie again after all, but I don’t remember the title.
We should see land this afternoon if the air is clear and if we are not too far south of Newfoundland. Tuesday we expect to arrive in Quebec. Everything is icy on deck, and foggy, but it looks like the sun is coming out. The storminess has let up, and many passengers are breathing easier now and daring to come back out of their cabins after spending most of the voyage in their bunks. The lounges are filling up.[…]
Monday the 8th of April
Yesterday evening it was the last dance and I danced a bit. The atmosphere was like at Carnival, with decorations and colourful hats (they passed them out at dinner), and a moving dance floor (quite literally). I met a nice couple who are visiting their daughter and son-in-law who have an orchard at Oliver in the Rocky Mountains. They want to make a tree nursery there.[…]
Since last night we are travelling among icebergs, sometimes our ship was an icebreaker. We are moving pretty slowly.
I am sitting in the smoking lounge now with Max and the Düsseldorfer. It is so gemütlich! (there isn’t really a word that properly says “gemütlich” in english, but “cozy” comes close) The whole ship is like a Hotel or a small town, where everyone knows everyone […]
****************
That is where the page ended, chewed off by the mouse.
16 Responses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2a90pd9HXQ
It’s near where i live – Bye Andrew, an American leaving Germany soon
What a lovely video!
Dear Monika,
The story continues. We used to correspond when you were in jail in Germany. Now you are back in Canada. You are the German girl that apologised to her mother for having said uninformed and insulting things to her. Now I find out that quite a bit of Polish is mixed into your background. Something does not sit right with this great enmity between Germans and Poles that ended in a war and in effect was the cause of WW2, so they tell us. If it wasn´t for the stirrers that magnify differences most people would get along just fine. Live and let live.
I send you greetings
Dagmar
Hi Dagmar,
Several decades ago, I remember asking my grandfather that question, if we had polish in our ancestry. He adamantly answered, “No!” I left it at that.
Yes, I remember your letters very well, thank you!
Thank you Monika for sharing what you must be very excited about 🙂 I wouldn’t be able to put it down! You have reaped a treasure from suffering my dear…a treasure no one can take away from you, ever. Here’s hoping that this will bring much comfort to Alfred too. What a blessing I say!!!
Monika, it sounds like your mother was not at all afraid of the stormy weather or rocking and rolling of the ship! What a treasure to have these letters from your mother! Thanks for sharing this one.
And even if the truth of history is covered up with lies for a season, we know that the truth ultimately prevails.
So glad you shared that with your newsletter list. It reminds me if reading the letters my mother & dad exchanged when he was U.S. Army Air Corps stationed in London and she was struggling living with her mother in Atlanta’s first housing project. We can be thankful for our families and our family histories. Whatever history the Enemy goes about to invert and destroy, we can be hopeful it will not be successful. And How good it is to hear the distant echoes of young people speaking to their loved ones and anticipating new beginnings after such difficult and distressing times!
God bless you Monika!
That is a lovely fascinating letter Monika. A peek into a little known history of a different kind of immigration to Canada. The best immigrants. My Wife’s Mother’s story is similar. She served in the Women’s Luftwaffe Core in WW2. She ended up in a DP camp in Austria at war’s end. She came to Canada in 1950 solo, having been separated from her family that was from East Germany. She paid her way making a living as a domestic servant with a family near Ottawa. She met my University of Toronto, future Father-in-Law while picking tobacco in 51. The rest as they say is history.
Liebe Monika,
welch eine schöne Fundsache!
Ich habe den Text gleich wieder zurück ins Deutsche übersetzt und schicke ihn morgen früh mit der Post an Alfred. (Ich darf ihm ja nur deutsche Briefe schreiben…)
Ein wirklich sehr schöner Artikel!
Danke und GruSS
H H
Lieber HH,
Danke! Ja, ich werde es auch abdrucken und ihn schicken als die Rückseite meines nächsten Briefes. Und noch mehr erzählen von diese ganzen Briefe. Da sind auch von uns Kindern unsere kleine Brieflein an den Großeltern. So haben wir das Deutschschreiben gelernt.
Oh my, Monika: I have copy/paste from the letter above “aka Didi – Schmilinsky) wr”. Barbara Ann Nowak writing a book about jew control of Poland for 1000 years, stated somewhere Polish names ending in “SKY” are jewish.
Not to worry, no jew in my background!
One never knows… what types of skeletons are hiding in one’s closet corners… 😉
Wow!!! I’m so happy for you, Monika. What treasure you have found. I hope you’ll share more. Fascinating reading. Thanks.
What a lovely post! Thank you so much for sharing it.