Skip to content

My marriage

Event ID: 632

Categories: 

Ein Heldenleben, Ullstein & Co, 1920

18 October 1917

50.86647119542234, 10.556957288949208
auf Schloss Rheinhardsbrunn/ Thüringen
Reinhardsbrunn

Source ID: 55

Ein Heldenleben, Ullstein & Co, 1920 p.  154 

“Fritze Prestien, an old flying ace, got married. I was invited to the wedding. It took place at the home of his parents-in-law, who live at the court of the Duke of Coburg-Gotha. The Duke had made his hunting lodge in Reinhardsbrunn available for the occasion. The festivities were very pleasant, especially for a wartime wedding. I myself had a wonderful time there and then went to the Continental to spend the rest of my holiday in Berlin. The porter greeted me with a smile and congratulations. When I asked him why he was congratulating me, he looked at me in astonishment, smiled affably and explained: ‘On your marriage!’ I was surrounded by a group of cheerful people. There was a big hello. I blushed and explained to him that I hadn’t gotten married, not even engaged. The porter looked at me somewhat suspiciously. For me, the matter was settled. I didn’t even think about it anymore, but then I went to a restaurant where I often eat, and the same thing happened. The landlord is falling over himself with kindness. But now I ask why and how he came to that conclusion. He picks up the ‘Deutsche Tageszeitung’ and there it is in bold letters. The scene of the crime, witnesses, all kinds of guests are listed from a wedding that I had attended, but it wasn’t me who was the victim, it was Fritze Prestien. The Gothaische Zeitung had simply confused my name with that of my friend, and so I was printed as the husband in all the newspapers. The lift boy at the Continental held the B.Z. under my nose, laughed mockingly and said, ‘Do you still want to deny it, Herr Rittmeister?’ My own relatives sent me countless telegrams. I received letters with the comical content for weeks afterwards, but unfortunately no wedding gifts, which I would of course have gratefully accepted and saved for a rainy day. My father was away at war, and he too received heartfelt congratulations from all sides. I hadn’t seen him for a long time. I never write to him at all. Now that it was there in black and white for all to read, and the facts were described so accurately, my father slowly began to believe it himself and finally stopped denying it. Later, when I laughed at him, he said, ‘Modern times bring all sorts of things with them, so why not something like this for a change? Fathers are rarely asked for their opinion.’ In the end, however, he agreed that I had not entered into holy matrimony, because he too was convinced that it would have been a little premature. I myself could well imagine enjoying my life as a dashing bachelor until my happy end.

The interest of young girls in me has visibly waned since then. This can be seen from the letters.”

Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back To Top