Letter from Amy D Mehnke to Mrs Ray, Stawell (sent to the Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald)

[*PR82/8*]
Am enclosing a snap I had

taken for Mother.   You see I

am quite well again.

'Rotenburg'

Stawell

Sept 19th. 15

Dear Mrs. Ray.

We were so pleased to receive

your letter.  Please forgive me for not writing 

to you before but I have been very ill.

In May last we received a letter from Mother

saying that Father had been interned at

Ruhleben. He begged Mother to come home at

once but she said she could not leave Father

alone, a prisoner in Germany.  She has taken

rooms at a private house in Rotenburg and

is living very quietly there.  They visited

Rotenburg when they first got to Germany.  It

was Father's birth place and Mother liked

the little xxxx town so went straight there.

Of course she cannot now have anything to

do with any of the relations.  She is not

permitted to see Father but writes to him

and sends him food often.  It is terribly

lonely for Mother but she says she could not

possibly leave Father quite alone.  She does

2.

fancy work all day long.  We have only had

four letters - of one page - from Father since

January - when he was taken.  There are

about 6000 men quartered in stables and hay

lofts.  They feel the Winter very much and are

dreading this coming one:  but Father has

just been elected Captain of No 2 Barrack's

so he has the privilege of have a fire &

of buying decent food.  He always comes

out top.  They wrote that they had no

possible chance of escaping from Berlin

when war broke out.

The week I received word of Father we were

very busy at the shop.  It had all been

such a strain on me all the time and my

nerves gave way.  They took me to a private

hospital in Melbourne where I very soon

got well again but for four months I

lost the power to walk.  I am thankful

to say I am perfectly well again and

am going to take things very quietly now.

My sister has resigned from the Cookery

school and has taken over all my

work but very soon I shall help her.

 

 

3.

What a number of socks you have knitted.  We

are all working too.

I wonder if you would care to write to Mother

She would love to hear from you.

If you will promise very faithfully not

to mention one word about my illness I

will give you the address.  You see Mother

is so lonely we always try to cheer her & it

would worry her if she knew.  We are all in

perfect health and are as happy as we

can possibly be under the circumstances.

Everyone is so very kind to us.

Enclose letter in an open envelope addressed 

Mrs. G. Mahnke, Rotenburg, i Hannover.

Germany.  Pin an International Coupon

for 3d on the envelope - obtainable at P.O.

Place inside another envelope and

address  Dr. Ernst Carroll, Commonwealth Trade

Commissioner, Basel, Switzerland.  This

envelope may be sealed. 2½d stamp.  Dr. Carroll

then forwards letter to Mother.

With love from us all,

Yours sincerely

Amy D. Mahnke

 

 

Mrs. Hay

"Riora"

23 Woolcott Street

Darlinghurst.

N.S.W.

 

 

INTERNED AUSTRALIANS

MELBOURNE, Wednesday.

The following cable message has been recived
from the High Commissioner's office:-

"With reference to your letter of June 4,

1915, regarding the transmission of letters to

persons in Germany, many letters are arriving

in this office from Australia with coupons attached, valued at 3d.  Our only way of transmitting
letters is through Cook's.  This costs

1s each.  We recommend the publication of

a public notice that letters should be sent

through Cook's agencies in Australia, and not

transmitted through this office.  Letters can

also be transmitted through any friend in 

neutral countries."