Written from Deisenhofen as the post reopened — rationing and prices, the substitutes the blockade forced on them, and a longing for Coffs Harbour
Fanny wrote this letter from Deisenhofen, near Munich, on 7 September 1919, as the post reopened after the war — one of the private letters that still reached the Campbell family of Korora during these years. It describes the Riecks’ life as detained British subjects, the rationing and improvised substitutes of the blockade, and news of home. In places it gives a pointedly pro-German view of the war’s end; the words are Fanny’s own and are reproduced exactly as she wrote them. The original is held by the Yarrila Arts & Museum, Coffs Harbour, and is reproduced here by courtesy of the City of Coffs Harbour.
Deisenhofen by Munich.
Bavaria. Germany. 7.9.19
My dear Mrs Campbell and all kind friends in Australia!
At last I find time to write to you since the post service is open. We have had no letters from Australia since Miss Doberer wrote to say poor Tom was dead. I tried to get letters away but they always returned again. In February last I sent a letter by an English officer, Major Douglas, to Miss D. but have no reply yet.
As British Subjects we have been “prisoners of war” all the time, but have been very kindly and well treated. As we had our house and home here we were allowed to stay here, and were treated the same as the natives, our neighbors, and have as much, or as little, rations as they. We sold our little villa and bought an old fashioned farm house with seven acres of land, a fine fruit-garden, vegetable garden, and a little meadow for the goats!
We have worked hard to provide ourselves with food for the winter, such as apples, pears, peas, beans, and potatoes &c &c. We have 2 goats, 8 hens & 5 geese. We get 8 lbs. bread, 2 oz butter, or fat, 2 to 8 oz meat, sugar, 1 lb flour, a little ground barley or oats per person every week. You can imagine we are not very fat, but quite well and healthy. We have had no new clothing or soap for years, now soap is to be had at 8/6 per lb. Last week we had only 2 oz of meat for the week (2 people), this week 8 oz. Our poor fowls and goats must also go hungry, we cannot get much food for them and from 8 fowls we must give up 120 eggs.
We cannot rear many on account of scarcity of food. We were offered £5 for 2 geese, but did not take it as they are sold for 70/- now and will reach £5 each before Christmas. We have always eaten them ourselves up to now, but if we can get American bacon @ 7/- per lb that will suit by us better. Meat is 4/-, butter 6/7, flour 8/-, early potatoes £1 per cwt. Hay cost also 28/- to 22/- per cwt. We expect to have a bitter winter. No One has any warm wollen clothing, flannell, or good stockings, and the worst is: we can get scarcely any wood or coals, but, never mind, we’ll pull through somehow.
Hardships are made to be overcome but since the war is over it is worse than before. The English are only just letting the food come in. We have no sugar for jam so I cooked sugar beets last year, and then boiled the apples and pears in the sweet water. We get our sugar from stone coals (saccarine,) and our fat out of wood, by chemical process, our tea is made of raspberry & strawberry leaves, our coffee of oats, barlay, rye, apple peels, &c, our under clothing of paper, jute, nettles, our boots of wood & straw, leather boots cost £6, what we missed most was soap.
The women, children and old men did the work on the land for 6 years, and provided for themselves and the army, who were victorious by land and sea against the whole world; It was hard through hunger they could not hold out a few weeks longer, and secure better peace conditions. All the best men have fallen but the many worse are left. It will take some time before Germany gets in working order again. The Mark which was worth 1/- is now only worth about 3d. If we should leave here we could only get that amount.
In recent letters from England they say everything is just as dear there, and house room just as scarce! My cousin wrote me that clothing was not to be had, sugar 7d per lb, eggs 5 & 6 d each, butter & meat scarce, tinned fruit 3/- per tin, cherries 2/- also strawberries; 1 dz trousers buttons 5/6, enamelled tea kettle 8/- &c &c. America has all the money, and everything is dreadfully dear there.
Now I have told you all about ourselves. I wish you would write me all about our dear old home and our old friends and neighbors. We miss dear old Lou’s letters very much, and have not had a paper here since 6 years. Who is living at Korora now? Are Nelsons, Angus McLeods, Renhaws, Skinners, Brays, McLean, Hills, Wears and Hayes still at Coffs? Have you plenty of good bananas growing? How did the pine apples do on the beach?!
When it is so cold here we get very home sick for Coffs Harbour, but on the whole we are hale & harty. Mr Rieck is in his 83 year and I am in my 60 year, and have to work just as hard as we did in Australia. Laborers ask 1/6 to 4/- an hour now, and women 1/- per hour. A laborer’s dinner cost 5/- They get very little for that. A cow cost £100 a goat £15 a hen 15/- rooster 25/- a rabbit 30/-.
All the young people want to get married, but there are not houses enough for them also furniture is ruinously dear. We have had a lovely cold wet summer but the crops are fairly good, but not enough grain for the millions of people here, and Germany has no gold to buy much. Give our kind regards to all enquiring friends and neighbors and write soon. Mr Rieck joins me in best wishes to Mr Campbell yourself and children.
Yours very sincerely,
Fanny E. Rieck.
Letter reproduced by courtesy of the City of Coffs Harbour. Original held by the Yarrila Arts & Museum (Coffs Collections), accession M2021.55.7, donated by Robert Hunter, 2021. Fanny Rieck died in 1942; the text is out of copyright in Australia. Readers are encouraged to verify against the source image linked above.