Page 24

Willi is about 19 here

Wilhelmshafen

Leaving Berlin and travelling via Hannover and Bremen to take up a post in Wilhelmshaven, c. 1925

Diary page 24

Translated from Willi's German.

Wilhelmshaven. With a heavy heart I parted from Berlin and travelled by passenger train to Hannover, which I reached at one o'clock midday. What is worth seeing in the city is above all the town hall and the beautiful streets; there was also a Freimarkt (fair) on at the time, which was very large. In the journeymen's hostel I spent the night with other journeymen - not exactly an inviting place. In the morning I still had occasion to remind the caretaker of his duty, as he was fast asleep. Having arrived in Bremen, my first task was to find the journeymen's hostel; and when I reached it, the first person I ran into was my old schoolmate Adolf Mueller. The greeting was a little awkward, and he seemed somewhat unwell. Afterwards I looked up my colleague, the Gruener, Kuerbach, with whom I went out in the evening, and I stayed the night at his place as well. In the morning the train took me by way of Oldenburg to Wilhelmshaven. As I came through the tunnel into the town, a feeling of loneliness crept over me. In the afternoon hours I presented myself at a fine, large establishment. Once I had got my suitcases up to my room, it was down to...

People: Willi Distel, Adolf Mueller, Gruener, Kuerbach

Places: Berlin, Hannover, Bremen, Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven

Interesting facts