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Die Reichswehr Im Bild: Pioneer Battalion 4 circa 1924
Hi
Finally got round to working out and posting another album. This one is for the Pioneer Battalion 4 in 1924 and is a little dark and blurred but it has a lot of things that make up for the quality of picture in terms of detail that can be seen at close inspection and also written text on the back that guides us with a little extra research into who is in the picture and the context it was taken.
Came bound in a nice WW1 period paper/card album.
cheers
Tony
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03-01-2019 09:00 PM
# ADS
Circuit advertisement
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by
spandau
this picture is strange...……………...the legend reads (please correct my translation) " honour burial of the 2 (gall?) bones of Pioneers Bttl. 4 1924
It says "Ehrenvolles Begräbniss von 26 alten Knochen des Pionier-Batl. 4. 1924". A literal translation is "Honorable burial of 26 old bones of Engineer Battalion 4. 1924".
However "alte Knochen" shouldn't be translated literally; it's a jesting expression meaning "old guys". (You know, if you meet someone you have known for ages, you might welcome him with a good-natured "Na, du alter Knochen?")
Clearly, they were having a bit of black-humored fun with a comedic mock funeral held for some veteran unit members, very likely on the occasion of their impending discharge upon completion of their twelve-year term of service with the Reichswehr.
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Hi,
Thanks for the correction...……...I read the 6 as a G making the allen into Gallen which totally threw me !! It's a top picture and I like the black humour.
Last edited by spandau; 03-02-2019 at 09:40 PM.
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Oh, and apologies my school boy German from 40 years ago is not much help...……...there again neither was google translate or my eyesight for that matter !!! Every day is a learning day.
Last edited by spandau; 03-02-2019 at 09:40 PM.
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