Collection of raw and old materials during the First World War

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Collections of raw and old materials were a widespread phenomenon in the German Empire during the First World War in order to at least partially compensate for the import losses. Initially often carried out at the municipal level, the collection activity has become increasingly centralized over time. The War Committee for Oils and Fats was founded in 1915 . The war committee for collection and helper service as a general coordination point for raw material collections was established in 1917. A special form of raw material collection was the collection of valuable metals from the metal donation of the German people . There were also collections of raw materials in Austria in a similar way.

Beginnings

The British economic blockade and the associated interruption of food and raw material supplies forced the search for substitutes, but also the widest possible use of existing raw materials, including recycling of various types of waste.

Collection campaigns began as early as 1915, mostly at the municipal level. Among other things, the so-called pig murder showed a lack of fat. A War Committee for Oils and Fats was then formed. This should coordinate the local initiatives for the collection of relevant goods and ensure that the collected goods are processed further. Last but not least, the committee launched a large-scale advertising campaign on the collection of fats. This was at the beginning of propaganda campaigns, which over time were expanded to include more and more goods. The population was asked to collect fruit pits, beechnuts and similar fruits. The request was aimed primarily at the "German youth."

Collections and Schools

Even if different sections of the population participated in the collections, the schools were specifically involved. The war economy thus mobilized children and young people. Under the influence of the army, the schools' collection campaigns were increasingly organized. The “teachers formed the officers, the students formed the crew.” Those responsible were aware that the deployment of students would disrupt everyday school life and lead to lessons being canceled. But this was "subordinated to the imperative to ensure our economic survival in any case and thus to contribute to the victory of our weapons ".

Since autumn 1916 schoolchildren have not only been given leave of absence to harvest potatoes and beets, but lessons have also been largely canceled to collect raw materials. Cockchafer beetles were collected for animal feed, as were roots, mushrooms and berries. The destruction of vermin also belongs in this context.

The rallying appeals were accompanied by patriotic propaganda designed to convey the feeling that participation would be critical to victory. A propaganda poster read: “ German youth! On, on to the fight against the dangerous Englishman of our herb and cabbage plants, the cabbage white butterfly and its caterpillars. Show yourself to the fatherland as a helper and savior. By killing 100 cabbage whites a day, you destroy 10,000 voracious caterpillars that make our diet unsafe. "

In addition, the students were rewarded with material and non-material incentives. Books or toys were given out as rewards. There were collector's books in which stamps were stuck for certain collectibles. For a certain number of brands there were decorations in iron for a thousand brands, in silver for 2,000 brands and in gold for 5,000 brands.

In the local press, the collecting successes were recognized with corresponding patriotic undertones. It was said that the upper class of the municipal boys' school in Arnsberg “did some real war work ” because they had collected eight hundred pounds of nettles. In a sense, this includes soliciting students to sign war bonds .

centralization

The communal collection points ultimately not only collected raw materials of all kinds, but also money for aid to victims of war or for war loans. As reported from Bochum , for example , the garbage disposal regularly collected potato peel and vegetable waste. Bones could be given to the butchers. They forwarded these to the slaughterhouses. Other collections were carried out by housewives' committees, charities such as the Patriotic Women's Association and similar associations with the help of the pupils.

Around the spring of 1917, the military authorities began to exert increasing influence on collecting activities and to centralize them. With the help of the authorities, existing transport problems could be reduced. Centralization also helped to improve reprocessing and further processing. In November 1916, with the establishment of the War Office , the military authorities had to ensure that supplies for the armaments workers were improved. The Department of Folk Nutrition in the War Office examined the possibility of improving the supply of fat by collecting bones. Building up its own structures seemed too time-consuming, so it came to cooperation with the municipalities and existing collective organizations. Against the background of the catastrophic turnip winter of 1916/17, the first legislative measures were taken in the spring of 1917 to standardize bone collection.

From the summer of 1917, the department for people's food issues also played the central role in the newly established war committee for collection and helper service. The deputy general commands were responsible below the central level . This had to coordinate the local authorities in their area. From the beginning of 1918, the VII Army Corps , based in Münster, could consider groupage as follows:

  1. Food waste such as bones, fruit pits, potato peels, vegetable waste or coffee grounds
  2. Waste from textiles or household goods such as bottles, rubber goods, corks, tin cans, metals and textiles of all kinds, up to the sockets of lightbulbs,
  3. Waste paper,
  4. Women's hair, (see also German Women's Hair Collection )
  5. Natural products such as fruits, acorns, chestnuts, mushrooms, etc.

The goods collected served three different purposes: 1. for food, 2. to combat the clothing shortage and 3. to combat the scarcity of raw materials.

For various reasons, including the great flu epidemic and malnutrition among children, the success of these collections declined significantly in the last year of the war. Against this, new propaganda efforts were made. The incentive system also changed. Instead of badges of honor there was additional food. The weekly fat filtration increased by 60 g when releasing one kilo of beechnuts. A monetary bonus was also paid.

Balance sheet

Overall, the success of the collecting activity was modest. A significant improvement in the nutritional situation could not be achieved as a result. Often the effort was greater than the result. The energy expenditure when collecting berries was often higher than the nutritional energy gained by collecting . Improved waste recycling seems to have had a certain positive significance. This was often retained after the war, while the other collections were given up afterwards.

literature

  • Anna Roehrkohl: Hunger Blockade and Home Front. The communal food supply in Westphalia during the First World War. Stuttgart, 1991
  • Martin Kronenberg: School fight on the "home front" in World War I: nailing, relief services, collections and celebrations in the German Reich. Hamburg, 2014 pp. 33–94.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Entry near Vienna during the First World War
  2. ↑ cf. in detail: Martin Kronenberg: School fight on the "home front" in World War I: nailing, auxiliary services, collections and celebrations in the German Reich. Hamburg, 2014 pp. 33–94.
  3. ↑ Anna Roehrkohl: hunger blockade and home front. The communal food supply in Westphalia during the First World War. Stuttgart, 1991 p. 53.
  4. ↑ Anna Roehrkohl: hunger blockade and home front. The communal food supply in Westphalia during the First World War. Stuttgart, 1991 p. 55.
  5. ↑ Centralvolksblatt 209/1916 9.9.