A Mysterious Love Letter
T(isztelt) Womácska/o Boriska kisasszonynak
Német Kucsova út
Munkács
Bereg megye
H(onoured) Miss Womácska/o Boriska
Németkucsova Street
Munkács
Bereg County
Kedves Boriska,
it(t) küldöm magamat néked.
Isten véled aviszt látásig.
Ölelem a k(edves) szüleidet is a Teréz is sokat/soksz.
Dear Boriska,
I’m sending myself here.
Goodbye until we meet again.
Hugs to your dear parents and Teréz too.
A variant of the given name Borbala, Boriska is a Hungarian girl’s name. In English, Borbala is equivalent to Barbara. The sister of Anton’s future wife, Barbara Vomacsko, was Terezia, born in 1903. Barbara may have been known by the nickname Boriska.
This may explain the unidentified “Boris Vomacsko” who announced Maria Vomacsko’s death in 1911.
Tracing the History of A Military Photo
Anton Pfeifer is pictured wearing the uniform of the Austro-Hungarian army sometime between 1914 and 1918. At this time, his village of Németkucsova was part of Austria-Hungary.
While I do not have any official records of his service, the specific nature of Austro-Hungarian uniforms allows me to gather information about his rank and time period of service through this photo.
In 1869, the Austro-Hungarian army replaced their white uniforms with dark blue (dunkelblau) ones. When World War I began, they switched to the M1908 pike grey (hechtgrau) field tunic (feldbluse). It is likely that this is the uniform worn by Anton in the photo. Later on, the field grey color (feldgrau) was introduced as supplies allowed, replacing the pike grey.
From Head to Toe
In the photo, Anton can be seen wearing a ski cap known as a feldkappe. The cap has flaps that can be pulled over the ears for warmth, and a royal cypher emblem on top. By 1917, the feldkappe was replaced by helmets, so the photo was likely taken before this time.
In the photo, Anton’s stand-up collar does not display any stars indicating his rank. This means he was a private, also known as a gemeiner. The stand-up collars were eventually replaced with stand and fall collars due to discomfort. Anton is also wearing a stock tie, or halsbinde, to protect his neck from irritation.
Upon closer examination, Anton’s upper right leg and pant seams appear to have woolen decoration, which is a signature of the Hungarian army. However, it is difficult to confirm this for certain. Anton is also wearing gaiters, which suggests that he was an infantryman.
What About the Pom-Poms?
Qualification lanyards were given to soldiers who demonstrated proficiency in certain skills, such as marksmanship or engineering. Based on the fact that Anton was an infantryman, it can be inferred that he earned his lanyard through his marksmanship skills. The lanyard would have been either red or green in color.
Sources
Austro-Hungarian Army Marksmanship Lanyards
Galician soldier’s equipment of the 13th Infantry Regiment
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