Eva Sommer and the Kriegsfürsorge

For Eva Sommer, eldest daughter of a German Jewish high court judge, the outbreak of World War I in 1914 marked the end of a time of innocence and youth. Like many other German Jews, Eva Sommer was keen to show her patriotism and she volunteered for the war charity ‘Kriegsfürsorge’ in Frankfurt. Initially in 1914, the charity was supporting only injured soldiers and their wives and widows, but as the war went on, food shortages became more severe and prolonged. Soon the Kriegsfürsorge had to drastically expanded their remit and they also helped those who had lost their livelihoods as a consequence of the war.

In these images Eva Sommer can be seen working proudly at the offices of the Kriegsfürsorge and delivering refreshments to wounded soldiers returning from the front lines. Throughout the war Eva Sommer wrote poetry reflecting the desperation and longing for an end to the war.

Soon after the war Eva Sommer married Victor Ehrenberg, together they had two sons with whom they escaped via Prague to the UK.

For more information on the archives relating to the Ehrenberg (later Elton) family browse the Keep catalog by hierarchy.