Reflections in an Oval Mirror: Memories of East Prussia 1923-1945 by Anneli Jones

Author:Anneli Jones [Jones, Anneli]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ozaru Books
Published: 2017-05-07T20:00:00+00:00

Work for the State and my Father

A few days later we received our civilian clothes and moved to the war-service town of our prescribed destinations. Only three girls from our RAD camp came to Mohrungen with me; one of them, fortunately, was Rita. We lived in a youth hostel, a former water tower, and were independent except for being locked in – or out – at 11 p.m. Our ‘hostel mother’ cooked our breakfasts and suppers and cleaned our rooms.

I worked in the food office, where I lost my RAD tan and regained the weight I had successfully shed in field work. For most of my working hours I was bored. We were given free lunches in the office canteen and some pocket money on top of this, so that we could go to cinemas and riding stables at the weekends.

About twice a week I was a little less bored, because my boss chose my company for going round the district in his car to check on farming produce, livestock, slaughter and such things. Farms in the Mohrungen district were different from those around the RAD camp and more like those I was used to at home. The large estates belonged to the aristocracy and it was probably on account of my personal acquaintance with some of those families that I was taken on the inspection trips.

The castle of the eccentric Countess von Dohna-Lauck was the most interesting by far. It was a strange sight to find her dressed in coarse trousers and gum boots while stories of her extraordinary wealth circulated far and wide. She was reputed to have invited the entire company of the Berlin State Opera to provide entertainment at her parties; she drove to town with an African footman on her carriage, perhaps the only black man living in the German Reich. But the most remarkable feature of the Countess was her integrity: she would not bribe officials from the Ministry of Food! Whereas we returned from other estates loaded with hams, butter, eggs, poultry and game, we went away from the Countess of Dohna-Lauck empty-handed. And when my boss had to sign a certificate for emergency slaughter the carcass looked genuinely sick.

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