Postcard sent home from a German prisoner of war camp, Gefangenenlager Zerbst in Zerbst, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, by RSM Lewis E. DeHarte to his wife in Toronto, Canada. RSM Lewis E. DeHarte was a prisoner of war from 1915-1919. To be noted, this postcard differs from many of RSM DeHarte’s post card sent prior to the date of this one, as they were from Göttingen, which is towards the western side of Germany, whereas Zerbst it further east and features Russian text printed on the card.
The postcard is cardstock and a brown colour, with writing in pencil on both sides of the postcard. The front is divided in half with a solid vertical line, with the left side having RSM DeHarte’s sender information, and the right side having the receiver’s information, being his wife’s information. To be noted, RSM DeHarte writes two addresses for his wife’s information with the first one being crossed and the second written underneath the dotted lines with a marker or pen. The first address is: R.R. No.1 London Jct. Rd. Ontario, and the second address is: 688 Younge. St The postcard is stamped on the front with an ink stamp by the Zerbst camp’s German Military Postal Examination Office, a Zerbst Germany post office, a London UK post office dated May 1917, two ink stamps by a London Ontario post office dated May 26 1917 and cancelling a green one cent “Canada Postage” stamp, and on the cancelling stamp is an additional box with the words “SAVE, SAVE, SAVE AND BUY WAR SAVINGS CERTIFICATES”. Printed on the front left side are various text mostly in French and Russian, from the top: “Répondre à l’adresse suivante: Aдресъ для ОтвѢтa: Gefangenenlager Zerbst Nom фамилия Prénom имя Compagnie Pота Matricule No. Личныӥ номеръ”, and in the top right side: “Kriegsgefangenen-Sendung” (meaning prisoner of war mail).
The back of the card is has horizontal rows of dotted lines for writing on and a message is written in pencil by RSM DeHarte:
“My Dear Wife & Kiddies. – Perhaps by now you have my letter explaining about Mae’s Box. I receive money OK & parcels thru’ Red Cross. I especially appreciate the Bacon. They never send any sugar. I would be sorry to think you were doing without anything for me. I can do without better. You may live at Crumlin or Toronto – anywhere that my kids are happy & loved. Love to mae. xxxxxxx Lewis”
Note: Crumlin is today a neighbourhood at the end of South-East London, Ontario but was in the past a separate community outside the city.
Also, on the back in the top right is printed: “Zerbst, _ _ _ _ _ 191 .” with the spaces filled in with the date by pencil by RSM DeHarte as: “March 26th 1917”, and in the top left is a circular ink stamp reading: “Geprüft Lager Zerbst 7” (meaning ‘Checked Camp Zerbst 7’).
