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Often some Rabaukenroughnecks threw real, thick "Klausteng"? even in German on this tin box, which of course caused a lot of noise and brutally ripped the men inside out of their tranquility. And, of course, these Rabauken came from the Dell, from where else at that time. Anyway, I was certainly not involved, at least here I could deny my Father's questions with a clear conscience.

I still see the friendly and quiet Martin Kleiker as he passes and stops on the way to his garden at our hedge next to the iron gate (there is now the garage entrance). Somewhat awkwardly, he removes the four-tooth (a gardening tool) with the basket attached to it from the shoulder and puts the things off. He rattles, took a pocket bottle (d'r Blääsch) from the "Votteteisch" (the back pocket), took a sip, stowed the pocket bottle back, rattles again vigorously, picks up the tool again and - now strengthened - continues his way to the garden.

But besides these, partly beautiful, partly exciting experiences, there was - unfortunately - still the school. Primarily, at school you had to sit still and secondary to obey the word. I learned pretty well, but sitting still and obeying the word has always been difficult for me, until today.

First we wrote with slate handles on slate boards, which would surely be described today as very environmentally friendly. Attached to the board was a sponge and/or a lobe, on which - forbiddenly - one spit if necessary, in order to clean out the just written lines again, if the teacher did not like it or something else came into the turn. At the end of the second school year pen and paper were introduced, a drama for all of us at the beginning. And writing with pencil was strictly forbidden. After Fr. Wolf, who gave a slap, but never seriously struck and the mostly peaceful teacher Schubert (called Negus) came now teacher Erdmann, who fast stick-out-of-the-cabinet that roared often and loudly when something didn't work out to its sense. It was already war and the school had received a supply of vitamin tablets for a possible emergency. Günter Buschlinger now - whether out of hunger, out of lust or just to annoy the teacher - had fed some of these tablets. Teacher Erdmann was completely out of his mind and beat the poor guy half dead in his anger, which caused him to fall enormously in my respect.

Our classroom was now on the first floor of the new school, facing the south side. It was a high and bright room. Old and new schools were sold by the community to Kronenbrot in the sixties and a new but much more primitive school was built near the sports field, why - heaven may know and perhaps the participants. The new school was demolished in 1998, the old one is to be listed as a monument, otherwise it will certainly be gone one day. Between the two schools was the garden of teacher Lambertz, who lived with his family on the first floor of the old school.

Lambert was from Buderath, my Father said it was in the Eifel. I then assumed that this was just behind the Eifelblick in Vorweiden.

The ivy-covered and largely unused back exit of the new school went into Lambertz's garden. Almost immediately behind this exit stood the bee house. This place offered itself as a hiding place, if one was "urgently looked for". Also between the schools, to the south side and separated from the Puhl property by a fence and a metre distance, was a construction of about twenty meters in length. Towards the main street there was the "Spritzenhaus " of the fire brigade with the syringe truck and ladders, shovels and hoes. This was followed by the student and teacher toilets. Then, on the west side, there was a huge pear tree, underneath which was a glass container walled into the ground, for the preliminary recording of the ashes in the schools. The ashes were transported by the Wilhelm Beckers horse-drawn carriage. Beckers, who also disposed of the village's household waste.

At that time no problem, because only ash was found in the houses. All other materials were reusable raw materials. Only an old and broken bucket or broken crockery ended up in the garbage. This garbage ended up partly in abandoned parts of the sand and gravel pits in Broich, partly in a large depression on the ‘Kleiner Komm’ (roughly where today the field wood is on the Römerweg). Garden waste, among other things, was burned. What could not effectively be burned and buried was taken by hand cart to one of these dumps.

The schools were heated with coal, which was "verstocht"burned in large, cast-iron furnaces. The lower part of the ovens stood on three curved feet and also contained the ash box. Then followed an intermediate section with oven rust and fire door. In large rooms came a closed intermediate piece again, otherwise immediately the upper attachment, like the lower part slightly wider than the intermediate pieces. The base and the essay mostly carried ornaments, e.g. a garland that went around the furnace and testified of the artistry of the foundries.

After the first school year with Fr. Wolf and the 2nd with teacher Erdmann we had first Fr. Jennes in the 3rd year, then Fr. Hoff as a class teacher, then in the 4th year again teacher Erdmann. The head teacher and thus headmaster was Peter Giesen, the rather strict ruler of the upper classes. He came to our home to play rummy with his parents and friends, a popular card game at the time. He died in Langerwehe in the early 1990s.

Fr. Wolf lived at our last class meeting in 1992 in a nursing home in Aachen. Fritz Funken visited and invited her at the time, but she did not come. Teacher Erdmann lived in Vorweiden in the house of Köpp, Schmirlon today's Grüner Weg. As a staunch party comrade, he eagerly co-enforced the forced evacuation in 1944. After the war he was not seen here.

In 1941, the schoolyard was tarred. Downstairs, in the corner to Windelschmidt, a large sandbox was created so that the "physical training" in the high and long jump could also be measured accurately.

Please, observe the copyright of Albert Johnen
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