This Week's Story: Private Karl Link

Our story this week comes from Herbert Karl Link of Ettlingen Town. Herbert's grandfather, also called Karl Link, fought as a private in the Great War.

Karl was born on September 30, 1879. He lived in the Schöllbronnerstrasse in Ettlingen and worked as a packer in the local paper factory Bernheimer-Maxau, where he met his future wife Amanda Speck of Ettlingen-Bruchhausen, who was born in 1881.

When Karl joined up in 1914, he was 35 years old and already had two sons, Karl born in 1909 and Georg born in 1911. There were thus three generations of "Karls" in the family.

Karl fought on the western front during the Great War. He survived, and afterwards returned to his job in the paper factory in Ettlingen. He died on April 26, 1946.

Soldiers drinking their morning tea. Karl is on the ground next to the drum of tea in this photo, which he sent to his sister Paula

The reverse side of the photo. We can see that Karl sent the card to his sister Paula Link on April 23, 1915 - "a photo of me drinking my morning tea", he writes. "That's me just raising half a head", he jokes, as his head is partially obscured

Karl is second from the right in this photo, which also has one of the company sitting in a tree.

Karl Link after the war

Amanda, Karl's wife, after the war