Happy Easter

"My happiness, all my happiness, Easter I will still be far away, but the second Spring festival - Whitsunday ["Pfingsten" / Pentecost] - will not come without us being close once more... Your Reinhold" 20/IV 1916

Reinhold (Latvia, Easter 1916)

Reinhold Sieglerschmidt was serving in the German army on the Eastern Front near Dünaburg (Daugavpils, Latvia) on April 20th, 1916 - Easter Day. Throughout the war he wrote in a diary to his wife, Helene Wiszwianski (born at Vilna, Lithuania, of Jewish origin). When Reinhold was killed on the Western Front in February 1918 he left Helene, and their three children. Photos and the volumes of letters were contributed to the Erster Weltkrieg project during the public participation day at the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, Frankfurt, by Reinhold's grandson. The project will soon prepare this collection of almost 1,000 images relating to Reinhold Sieglerschmidt, and provide some further background supplied by the family. In the meantime you may see images relating to Reinhold which the family have already uploaded to the project - and you may upload your own family's story here.

Click to see a transcript of Reinhold's Easter message to his wife, 1916