Divorce papers for
Renate’s parents 1942.
Why did they divorce?
What do you notice about her mother’s name?
Käthe
Edler (nee Lehrs) was not represented – why do you think that was?
A bit of a joker.
Hans Edler used to comply with the Hitler Salute
but he said “Heil Edler.“ It amused
Renate and her grandmother but made her mother angry.
What do you think?
Was it brave?
Was it foolish?
How easy would that have been? Try it!
Part of a letter to Renate
The most difficult piece of news to
tell is that I have married again. I’m afraid I fell in love. The war was
difficult and Ingeborg was so kind to me. I was actually completely convinced
that both you and your mother had died. That seems unforgivable now. But
Ingeborg helped me through the darkest times. I hope you can forgive me and I
hope that you will meet her one day soon and that you will like her. She
deserves to be liked.
Hopefully, they will lift the
travel bans soon. You are then, of course, most heartily invited to Germany and I would also like to visit you in
your new home in England.
Do keep on writing.
Your loving father,
Hans Edler
Hans’s sense of
humour
This is what Renate says about him in her first letter:
But yesterday they got into a bit
of the Christmas mood. I almost choked, though, when the telegraph boy came
round.
“Heil Hitler!” he said.
And my father replied “Heil
Edler!” Thank goodness the boy didn’t notice. But I was going redder and redder
with trying not to giggle. After he had gone I almost spat the whole mouthful
of Apfelkuchen out.
That scene repeated itself at
dinner. Father knows very well that I hate spinach. And that I just hide it in
my mouth until I can get rid of it later. He kept trying to make me laugh. Then
it happened. A great explosion of green all over the white table cloth. Mother
made a terrible fuss and muttered something about young ladies in her day. Wilma
was trying not to laugh, I could tell! Father just roared.
