kit volume xxi no 3 december 2009 pictures improved
DESCRIPTION
Improved pictures. Back in England; - Expectation By Belinda Manley, Advent 1995, Blean Cottage*) I have a duvet that keeps me warm at night, I turn the heating up, for there’ll be frost tonight.TRANSCRIPT
Keep In Touch Newsletter Volume XXI No 3 December 2009 The KIT Newsletter editorial staff welcome all suggested contributions for publication in the Newsletter from subscribers and readers,
but whether a given submission meets the criteria for publication is at the sole discretion of the editors. While priority will be given to
original contributions by people with past Bruderhof connections, any letters, articles, or reports which the editors deem to be of his-
torical or personal interest or to offer new perspectives on issues of particular relevance to the ex-Bruderhof Newsletter readership
may be included as well. The editors may suggest to the authors changes to improve their presentation.
Have you made your KIT Newsletter subscription/donation payment this year? Please find details on last page.
Contents
Balz Trümpi is Ninety Five 1
Yes Strange Things are Happening 1
Poem: Back in England – Expectation 1
A Wonderful KIT Issue! 2
Tim and Amanda Harries‘ Wedding 2
Bulstrode Gathering in April 2010 3
Annelene Wiegand 3
Remembering Teresa Hsu 3
Paul Brookshire 1950-2009 4
Rest in Peace 5
Memories of Cotswold and Primavera – Part 1 6
Bessie Harries in Her Early Life 6
The Confrontation Between The Bruderhof And The
German National-Socialist Government 1933 to 1937 – 7 9
Contact Details of KIT Volunteers 12
Supplement: KIT Address List December 2009
Balz Trümpi is Ninety Five
By Erdmuthe Arnold
On December 4th
2009 Balz Trümpi became ninety five. I had a
nice chat with my uncle Balz and aunt Monika on the phone and
heard that several of their children came to celebrate the day with
them; they did the cooking, serving, dish washing: everything; so
the old couple could relax and really enjoyed this family day. To
cope with life at that age in one‘s own home is hardship, pure
and simple; but for Balz and Monika an old people‘s home is no
option. They want to keep on living in their house, 54 Horseshoe
Drive, Hyde Park, NY 12538 USA. All the same, they are de-
pendent on daily help.
Balz asked me to tell everybody he and Monika really would
like to keep in contact – but that it is no longer possible; strug-
gling through the day occupies all their time and strength. Mo-
nika will become ninety two on the 20th
of February, 2010. I‘m
passing on their good wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year.
Yes Strange Things are Happening
By Stanley Vowles
Thank you so much for the September KIT; it is most interesting
and informative. It was lovely getting various family news; al-
though not without some tragedies due to illness and death.
The report on Friendly Crossways was fine. I am more than a
little surprised that only forty per cent of KIT recipients pay for
it. This is either due to forgetfulness or meanness. Why at ten
pounds a year is only twenty pence or less per week!
Yes strange things are happening on the hofs, as set out by
Bette. Not surprising. Timothy‘s review of ―No Lasting Home‖
was quite perceptive. The letter to Emmy Barth by Ingmar really
hit some nails on the head, but was appreciative. I always find
the story of the community leaving Germany for England etc.
quite moving.
Back in England; - Expectation
By Belinda Manley, Advent 1995, Blean Cottage*)
I have a duvet that keeps me warm at night,
I turn the heating up, for there’ll be frost tonight.
So what will all those do who have no home or bed?
Where will they go, and where will they be fed?
The food kitchen’s there, with sandwiches as well,
Some do go there - you never can tell.
And some find corners where they huddle, so they say,
Sleeping in shop doorways at the end of the day.
“God in heaven above, come down to earth tonight,
And help us all to know how to put things right!”
For what does Advent say when it comes next week,
About the Baby Jesus, whom Kings came to seek?
“Shepherds and Kings - what did you find?
What is the message for all mankind?”
“Peace on earth, good will to men”, we sing
And from the belfry tower the church bells ring.
“O God of Peace! Come down tonight
And help us put these things right!”
*) Submitted by Linda Jackson who owns a booklet of poems by Belinda
Manley
With this poem KIT Staff would like to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Having read ―No Lasting Home,‖ ―Why Forgive,‖ and ―Homage
to a Broken Man‖ (Heini), leaves me with reflections. I can rela-
tively understand the first with its limitation of subject. However
―Why Forgive‖ is an apologetic of the subject, culled as it is
from many different sources. Hence it gets the praise of those
who have never lived in, or may not even understand, what
community means, or should mean, in its emphasis on all things
in common (apart from women) on the practical side alone, quite
apart from the inner context. Where Johann Christoph reports on
his experiences it is impossible to see he ever lived in commu-
nity or wanted to. He glosses over so many things, I am truly
flabbergasted. There is so much in it of self justification, all un-
der the guise of forgiveness: a truly worldly view.
―Homage to a Broken Man‖ is far from the truth, and I am al-
so amazed at what can be written in a slanted way out of adu-
lation. I will not try to analyze the life from a psychological point
of view, but I am not (sadly) at all surprised that Heini became
(if indeed he really did) a broken man. We humans cannot use
Keep In Touch Newsletter 2 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
power over rather than power to do, without destructive conse-
quences – either for the individual, or the group, society or na-
tion, and internationally throughout the millennia, and this, even
from the time of the Sumerians and before. All history proclaims
it.
Dear Erdmuthe. Good to have the news about Balz and Mo-
nika ahead of time. I also have the problem of keeping up, even
at four years younger [Stanley will celebrate his ninety second
birthday on the 28th
of next May]. It is all relative. For many
years I have been a member of Amnesty International. Modestly
I have just completed sending off to thirty one countries around
the world, words of hope, encouragement and support to Prison-
ers of Conscience where people are most terribly ill treated for
peacefully standing up for what they believe or advocate. Some
facts are scarcely believable, but it is not happening to us, and all
we want to do is help. Historically the method works.
I also want to stay at home as long as possible. Greetings!
A Wonderful KIT Issue!
By Miriam Holmes
Dear Charlie, Erdmuthe, Linda, Joy, Dave, Anthony and Tim!
A huge, heartfelt "thank you" for a wonderful KIT issue! I
can only guess how much work all of you put into KIT and sus-
pect you don't always feel appreciated as much as you surely are.
I certainly do not take all your work for granted, but don't ex-
press my gratitude often enough!
I especially enjoyed reading Bill Bridgewater's letter to Em-
my Barth and cheered him on as I read it. I thought that the edi-
tors' choice of putting the picture of Cyril's family into that KIT
issue, along with Bill's letter, was a stroke of brilliance.
Thank you again for a great KIT issue. It is great to keep in
touch.
Tim and Amanda Harries' Marriage
By Andy Harries
Tim Harries (forty-two), the youngest of our three children, got
married to Amanda Stewart (about thirty five) on August 4th
2009. Amanda is the older of two children of a family from
Cheshire. Gudrun and I booked a cottage for two weeks in the
Gower Peninsular which is on the south coast of Wales, a very
nice area where we have been on holiday many times. Tim and
Wedding photo – front row from left: parents Andy and Gudrun
Harries, bride Amanda, best man Jim, granddaughter Laura. Back
row: Grandson Daniel, groom Tim, Steve and Veronica Cresswell
nee Harries.
Amanda and Tim setting off in the carriage, cheering with glasses of
champagne.
Amanda had been planning their wedding for a long time. They
put a lot of effort into making it a very special day. The groom
spent the last night before the wedding with us in our cottage.
The bride, with some of her family spent the night in the Fairy
Hill Hotel, a rather nice named place for that occasion. The
women had their hair done, clothes fitted and make-up on the
wedding day morning. We were all told what to wear; we men a
brown coloured suit, some dark and some light ones, an ivory
Victorian Dress shirt, brown shoes and socks, with a Tuxedo
dark orange tie and dark orange waistcoat. We were all told what
to get and where, for instance also for each of us a specific
flower buttonhole.
The service was in a lovely little Church in the village of
Rhossili, right on the west coast of Gower. We had a rehearsal
the day before, and the Vicar was very good. He is blind and had
a white stick and a long bushy beard, but he certainly managed to
keep everybody under control, and made sure we all knew what
to do and where to be. It was a little strange experiencing our son
making these vows and promises, though he doesn‘t belong to
any Church himself and nor does she. A few people read poems
or words. Other very nice arrangements were a soloist singing
and a string quartet playing hymns and tunes chosen, instead of
the usual organ. I enjoyed this very much.
After the service the usual photos were taken, and then Tim
and Amanda were picked up by a two horse carriage and driven
the short distance to Worms Head on the coast, for more photos
of the couple and immediate family. It was a beautiful
background, looking in one direction to the famous Worms Head
jutting out into the sea and in the other direction to the long
curving sweep of Rhossili Bay with its three miles of lovely
sandy beach, backing up to a high ridge of a hill behind.
All the guests traveled to the Oxwich Bay Hotel for the
reception. Tim and Amanda went all the way (8.12 miles or 13
km) in the horse carriage, mostly along tiny country lanes with
hardly any traffic. They really enjoyed it, especially the wild
hedges and flowers and also the reactions of other horses grazing
alongside, often coming close to have a look.
The reception was in a large, splendidly arranged marquee
next to the hotel. Tim had requested we sing some songs in
recognition of our Bruderhof background and some African
songs for his brother and Best Man‖ Jim. First Gudrun, Jim,
Amanda‘s mother and I sang ―My bonnie lies over the ocean‖
and ―Edelweiß‖. We were standing by the entrance to the dining
hall and a whole group of the people going in stopped to listen.
Many said afterwards how they enjoyed it. Gudrun, Annette (a
German friend of Tim‘s), Renate (Hanfried Pfeiffer‘s wife),
Adriana Eyl (Grace and Klaus Pfeiffer‘s daughter) and I sang
Keep In Touch Newsletter 3 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
two German love songs, ―Auf der Lüneburger Heide‖ and ―Stehn
zwei Stern am hohen Himmel‖.
This is my favorite wedding song from our Bruderhof days:
Stehn zwei Stern am hohen Himmel,
leuchten heller als der Mond,
Leuchten so hell, leuchten so hell,
leuchten heller als der Mond.
Ach was wird mein Schätzlein denken,
weil ich bin so weit von ihr,
weil ich bin, weil ich bin,
weil ich bin so weit von ihr.
Gerne wollt ich zu ihr gehen,
wenn der Weg so weit nicht wär,
wenn der Weg, wenn der Weg,
wenn der Weg so weit nicht wär.
Gold und Silber, Edelsteine,
schönster Schatz, gelt, du bist mein;
ich bin dein, du bist mein,
ach, was kann denn schöner sein!
The usual speeches were followed by some delicious food.
Before dessert was served Jim, Gudrun, Tim and I sang two
African songs from the Ki-Kaonde tribe in Zambia, which Jim
had taught us many years ago, lovely songs with some beautiful
Left to right: Gudrun, Andy, Annette, Adriana and Renate singing
German songs
harmonies and rhythms. After the cutting of the cake and a
break, a young Japanese woman gave a demonstration of Tai
Chi; Amanda had invited some good friends of hers from Japan.
An Irish band for Ceilidh dancing invited all for something like
American square dancing where a caller calls out the different
moves. That was a lot of fun. Then everybody walked the short
distance to the beach for lanterns to be lit and let go so they rose
gently into the night sky — quite a sight. After that there was a
late buffet: high time for Tim and Amanda to leave. Gudrun and
I left too and drove back to our cottage, still hearing from afar
the disco inviting those with enough energy to dance some more
rounds.
The whole event was very enjoyable. We just hope the couple
lives happily ever after. It was obviously a lot different from a
Bruderhof wedding, but it was also a great experience. Weddings
on the Bruderhof were something unique; I think for many of us
they were the best days we had in community life.
Bulstrode Gathering in April 2010
By Andy Harries
To all Ex-Bruderhofers and friends: I have been able to book the
room at Bulstrode, which we had last year and a few times be-
fore, again.
Date: Saturday, April 24th
2010
The room is available for us from 10.30am to 5.30pm.WEC In-
ternational have kindly allowed us the use of the dining room at
the back with access to hot water so we can make our own drinks
there. We will bring basic milk, sugar, tea and coffee. Please
bring some food along to share. Just as we did last time we can
sit outside on the veranda with free access to the lovely Bul-
strode Park and grounds. Please do not smoke indoors. No alco-
hol and no littering anywhere.
We will have a collection for a voluntary contribution which
we can give to the people from WEC International as a thank you
for kindly allowing us the use of the room and grounds.
I will put out a sheet of paper at the reception for everybody
to sign on arrival. This is a legal requirement in case of fire. If
you enter through the main front door, the reception will be on
the right. Also on the right are toilets.
Please pass this information on to others who might be inter-
ested in joining us on our day at Bulstrode.
Annelene Wiegand
KIT: In the course of preparing the new Address List we learned
that Annelene Wiegand (sixty nine), oldest daughter of Waltraut
and Gerhard Wiegand, suffers from severe Alzheimers. She now
lives with her youngest sister, Waltraut (Trautel) Hagel, in the
lovely countryside near Schwäbisch Hall. They live in the same
house the Wiegand family occupied ever since they were asked
to leave the Bruderhof in1961. Annelene still remembers old
times and will be happy to receive greetings (Annelene Wiegand,
c/o Waltraut Hagel, 74542 Braunsbach-Tierberg, Hausnummer
10.)
Remembering Teresa Hsu By William (Ingmar) Bridgwater
For many years Teresa Hsu, a trained nurse worked in the Hos-
pital in Loma Hoby; she was, according to what Cyril Davies
told me many years later a very qualified, loyal and hard working
person.
I had forgotten about Teresa until an article appeared in the
local Singapore paper stating that she had received the Insurance
Associations Award 1993 ―for her charitable work‖. My wife
and I were living in Singapore at the time (1992-1994). We
checked to make sure this was the right Teresa and sure enough,
there she was living in an old people‘s home which she had built.
My wife and I visited Teresa several times. She was 82 years
old [born June 1st 1912 according to an old Bruderhof Family-
List], but still in good health, delighted to see me and talk about
her years in Primavera and common friends.
She told us she had grown up in Singapore and had trained to
be a nurse. Before and during World War II she worked as a vol-
unteer in China, where she got to know Delf Fransham who was
doing similar work there.
Keep In Touch Newsletter 4 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
Teresa Hsu was working as nurse in the Primavera hospital.
(Photo: Constantin Mercoucheff Archive)
After the war she went to the United Kingdom where, at some
point [1948, according to Arthur Lord‘s Wheathill dates], she
made contact with the Bruderhof and was sent to Primavera. I
don‘t know which year, but probably around 1950. I remember
her from my last school years in the early fifties.
Teresa became a member, performed her work diligently, and
learnt to speak Guarani. Early 1961 Theresa was approached by
Christoph Boller who told her, without giving any specific rea-
son, that her services were no longer required. She was dropped
off in Asunción. There she worked for a local convent. It soon
dawned on her that, at the rate she was being paid, it would take
her decades to save for the trip back to Singapore. As Singapore
at the time was still ruled by the British, she approached the Brit-
ish Ambassador, asking for help.
The reply was negative. The Embassy could not arrange to
pay the trip to Singapore. However the Ambassador said: ―I will
talk to these rascals and see to it that they pay your passage back
to England.‖ The Bruderhof conceded and paid her a one way
ticket to England. In London she met her sister, who paid for the
fare back to Singapore.
In Singapore Teresa worked as a nurse and did charitable
work. In her spare time she approached companies to request do-
nations for an old people‘s home for the poor, which she was
planning to build. The plan succeeded. When we met her, the
home had many beds. The occupants were old poor people.
The year we left Singapore (1994), Teresa was no longer
leading the old folk‘s home, but had found a home for the rest of
her lifetime within it. But she was still making her rounds col-
lecting money and goods. Every Saturday she would distribute
the thingss she had collected during the week among the poor
and needy. At 82 (!) she also gave yoga lessons and made fund-
raising speeches. My wife arranged for her to speak to the Scan-
dinavian Ladies Association in the Norwegian Seaman‘s Church
in town. A good contribution resulted.
[Note by the editors: William Bridgwater had sent the Singa-
pore newspaper report about Teresa being awarded for her chari-
table work to Clementina Jaime in Paraguay, and she most
probably passed it on to the KIT-Staff in San Francisco, who
published the good news in the KIT Newsletter of July 1994;
there was no news from her since then.]
Paul Brookshire, 1950-2009 By Tim Johnson
In mid November I heard from our old friend Katherine Brook-
shire of the death of her elder son, Paul who passed away on
November 11th
. Kathy, whom some of you may remember from
Woodcrest and Oaklake days called me to pass on the sad news. I
had reconnected with her when she lived in north Georgia, from
which however she left some years ago for Arizona, mainly for
health reasons after her retirement.
Paul died at his Florida home. The exact cause of death is
unknown, but he had been in quite fragile health for some time
Paul (14), Kathy and Tommy (12) celebrating Christmas together at
Oaklake 1964 (private photos)
with serious respiratory problems and it appears to have been
some respiratory episode which finally took his life without
much warning. Indeed, though he had been reluctant to proceed
with the radical surgery involved, he was on some sort of lung
transplant waiting list. He was found at home, at first appearing
just to be asleep or reclining on his couch by the person who
went to check on him after he failed to show up at work, and also
failed to respond to a call from his mother. Paul was fifty-nine
years old at the time of his passing.
Paul did not grow up on the Bruderhof, though he visited it a
few times. He grew up with his dad after he and his mother
divorced, while younger brother Tommy stayed with Kathy at the
Bruderhof until she left and returned to Georgia (near
Macedonia, actually). Let‘s keep her in your thoughts, as this is a
difficult time for her, and also for Tommy and his family.
Kathy Brookshire [asked us to share the following with her KIT
friends and acquaintances]:
―Paul Russell Brookshire was born on August 2nd
, 1950, in
Miami, to Jerry and Kathy Brookshire. His brother Tommy
arrived two years later. However, the marriage did not last, and ...
Paul, Tommy and I left Miami about 1954 to stay with my
parents in Georgia. Jerry came to Georgia and took Paul from the
yard where he was playing. I went to Miami with him. I thought
he would bring him back, but he would not. Tommy and I moved
to Macedonia, and Paul was allowed to visit us there.
―Paul visited Woodcrest and Oaklake while we were there.
When Tommy and I left Oaklake for Georgia we met Paul there,
and had a wonderful camping/road trip west to Texas and
Keep In Touch Newsletter 5 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
Paul Brookshire at home in Miami 2008, a year before he died.
Arizona to visit my sisters and their families. Paul returned to
Miami to attend college as music major. Music was always a
large part of his life. He played drums and also piano and various
other instruments, and was good at anything musical. He had an
excellent hi-fi music system and hundreds of CDs. Paul went
into piano tuning to help his Dad, who was a piano tuner.
―My son was married for a number of years, but had no
children. After they separated/divorced he continued in Miami,
but after Hurricane Andrew (1992) he sold his house and tried
San Francisco for a time. He returned to Miami, purchased a
UPS store franchise, and returned to piano tuning, this time on
cruise ships, which he enjoyed.
―Paul had developed a tendency to have respiratory problems
over the years, and this was finally correctly diagnosed as
bronchiectasis/pseudomonas. His system had developed
resistance to all the usual antibiotics, and his condition worsened,
though with periods of partial remission. His doctors told him he
needed a complete lung transplant. He wanted to put this off as
long as possible. The last few weeks he was ill, and had a fever
with coughing. His co-workers and friends and I had been trying
to call him that last day. At the end they went to check on him,
and found him sitting on the couch, peacefully asleep, they
thought. But he was already dead.
―We will all miss him terribly. He was a good, fun person to
be around, cheerful in spite of his pain.‖
Rest in Peace
Keep In Touch got news of the death of several Bruderhof
members who died in 2009. Many KIT readers will know them
from old times and remember them with love. If anyone wants to
publish his/her personal memories in our Newsletter, please do
so.
Nancy Trappnell, nee Watkins died February 2009 and was
buried next to her husband Brian on February 23rd
in Maple
Ridge. Brian died twenty-one years earlier, in 1988 aged eighty-
three. Nancy would have been one-hundred years old had she
survived to the 22nd
of September this year. The Trappnells were
a real Primavera family. The young couple crossed the Atlantic
from England with their first born Peter and Grandmother Elisa-
beth Watkins in the large group which set off on the 7th
of Febru-
ary, 1941 on the Avila Star. They first lived in Isla, then in
Loma, and most of the years in Ibaté. Their seven children are:
Peter, Mark, John, David, Caleb, Sheila and Brian junior. Many
of us have fond memories of Nancy, Brian, and their kids – our
class mates.
Elisabeth (Lizzie) Boller, nee Maendel died on June 26th
, 2009,
aged 75. She was born to Jacob and Rachel Maendel on January
19th
1936. Her family had moved to the Forest River Community
from another Hutterite Colony. There Lizzie met Bruderhof
youngster Hans-Uli Boller. They became engaged, and married
in October 1956. This was most probably the first wedding of a
Hutterite and Bruderhof couple. Lizzie was the only child of her
family who decided to join the the Bruderhof. Her parents and
siblings belonged to those Hutterites who would not accept the
uniting of Forest River members with the Bruderhof.
Lizzie and her eight children Veronica, Michael, Constance,
Hans Jörg, Hannah, Margaret, Simeon and Christine, lost Hans
Uli very early in their family life; he died suddenly in May 1972
from bronchial asthma. – Sadly, Michael, who left the Bruder-
hof, was not invited to the funeral of his mother, and he was not
allowed to visit her before she died.
Victoria (Vicki) Rattenbury, nee Agius, aged eighty-five died
during the month of June. She and her husband Norman had two
children: Patricia and Paul.
Dorothy Scott, nee Spencer, aged eighty-eight, also died in
June. Her husband William Scott died in 1975 at the age of 89.
The British couple had six children: Sarah, Richard, Theresa,
Julian, John and Anthea. – Richard is one of the Bruderhof Eld-
ers today.
Harry Magee, died in July aged eighty-nine. He was married to
Lotti Ahrend, who came to the Rhönbruderhof as a child with her
mother Ulrike. Harry and Lotti had five children: Catherine,
Myra, Heather, Mathew, and Ian. Primavera, El Arado and Bul-
strode were the hofs the family lived in before the big crisis in
1961. They stayed truthful to community life, and most probably
moved to the States later on.
Marjorie (Madge) Wardle, nee Hollingdrake died in Septem-
ber, aged ninety-four. Madge had lost her husband Derek ten
months prior. Their six children are Christopher, Francis, Anne,
Joan, Aileen, and Stephen. – Tim Johnson remembered this Brit-
ish couple fondly in his Memories about Derek Wardle, whom he
experienced as Headmaster in Wheathill of April, 1948 and the
following few years. (KIT Newsletter, April 2009.)
Daniel Paul died in November at Darvell, aged sixty-four. He
was born on August 27th
, 1945 to Thomas and Cecilia Paul in
Wheathill. At the age of about eleven years Daniel had a bad ac-
cident, ―when cooking pancakes on the family‘s paraffin room
heater.‖ Matt Ellison shared this in a contribution for KIT in
April-May, 2001: ―… He (Dan) caught fire. His attempts to beat
out the fire caused the material to stick to his bare arms and legs
while it continued to burn. The stove got overturned and it was
pandemonium. Tommy, his father had the presence to wrap him
in a rug and get the fires out. Dan was hospitalized for a long
time suffering from large areas of deep burn…‖
Two years later the Paul family lost their oldest son James,
aged fourteen in another bad accident. Matt‘s memory: ―We used
to sledge down the first Bank, a steep field with a wicket gate at
the bottom leading to the stream. On this occasion slushy snow
had frozen overnight and the track was like an Olympic bob sled
run. James and Dieter [Holz] raced down the hill for the wicket
gate, and James hit the gate post broadside. He died of internal
injuries. The Paul family had it pretty tough. …‖
Keep In Touch Newsletter 6 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
Memories of Old Cotswold and
Primavera Days – Part 1 By Bessie Harries
KIT received the memories by Edith (Bessie) Harries from her
son Andy. She had found the time to write them down on one of
the Bruderhofs in 1983, just three years before she died on No-
vember 21st, aged 82. Andy has included parts of a tape which
his parents made in 1985 at Woodcrest. Together with his wife
Gudrun he transcribed his mother’s tiny handwriting. She and
Cyril Llewelyn Harries were one of the first couples who joined
the Cotswold Bruderhof in 1936. Her memories add to the report
of Hans Zumpe about the years 1933 till 1937. They also are
good counterpoint to the book by Emmy Barth about the exodus
of the Bruderhof people from England to Paraguay and the first
years in Primavera. In 1945/1946 the Harries family moved back
to England to be part of the Wheathill Bruderhof. A short intro-
duction about the pre Bruderhof years will help in understanding
why the author and her husband joined the community.
I went to a day college in London, catching a train at 7.57am.
Granted a scholarship, I didn‘t have to buy books, and was given
£24 a year for clothes. We had to study every subject – it was ac-
tually very interesting, but pretty hard. We had music, for in-
stance, in an old theatre. When we were cold we had to stand up
and bang each other on the back. We enjoyed our teacher, Rook,
who taught me to sing alone – to sight read and so on. There
were students from every belief and unbelief and I became criti-
cal of Christianity and thought I knew better. This must have
caused my parents pain. I think the psychology and theory of
evolution and other issues were very prevalent at that time. One
of my six sisters became an anthropologist and a believer in the
theories of Rudolf Steiner. At one time my sisters and I decided
to try all the different churches and chapels in our town. The one
I remember best was the Roman Catholic one which seemed to
us very formal and elaborate. It seems to me that all this was
merely a kind of intellectual searching and very unrewarding. It
was a time when many people were questioning the churches, al-
so asking why there were so many different ones; for example, in
our town were both Wesleyan Methodists and United Method-
ists.
I left college in 1921 and taught for four years in a very poor
part of London, starting with about twenty children, mostly three
years old. I made a bad beginning: The very first morning I
spilled red ink on the attendance register – which had to be kept
in perfect condition! I don‘t know what the Head Mistress did,
but she was in an awful state about it; she probably had to get
another register. I was full of idealism and ideas how to teach
young children. I was told the children had to learn their ABC –
to count up to five and so on. During the next six months the
class increased to 60. However the head mistress was very happy
about the P.E lessons (physical exercises) – we went around im-
itating animals and really enjoyed ourselves, also with the piano.
The children were loveable and many were responsive.
After four years I transferred to a junior school, starting out
with seven year olds and moving up with them until they were
ready for senior school. Here the teachers were young and keen
and I enjoyed the next four years until I left to get married, in
1929. I also experienced joy in helping with Sunday school for
little ones. It was at Easter 1928 during a Sunday school confe-
rence that I met Llewelyn; he was a Wesleyan too. We had a
number of common interests and arranged to go to a summer
holiday house in August, arranged by the Wesleyans. We had
various questions, which we wrote about to one another in the
meantime.
Bessie Harries (sitting, 2nd from right) as a 15 year old with her
parents Frederick and Charlotte Clift, her five sisters and brother,
probably 1916. (Most of the photos submitted by Andy Harries)
Bessie Harries in her Early Life By Andy Harries
My mother, Elisabeth (Bessie) Harries, was born on April 9th
,
1901 in Yorkshire — the oldest of seven children — to Frederick
Arthur and Charlotte Nellie Clift, nee Thomas. Soon after her
birth the family moved to Lincolnshire and later to St Albans,
near London. Her father, Frederick was a printer who worked for
the Salvation Army, though he wasn‘t a member. He was
secretary of the printers‘ trade union. He belonged to the Liberal
Party, and supported Prime Minister Lloyd George. Around 1900
the British were building railways in Argentina and two of my
Mum's uncles went there to work.
Her parents were Wesleyan Methodists; they took refugees
from France and Germany into their home. With her father, a
Wesleyan lay preacher, Mum sometimes biked on a tandem to
one of the villages several miles away where he would take the
Sunday services. He used to read books by John Wesley and
Spurgeon. The family liked to go out on bike rides or country
walks, often taking a picnic. They picked blackberries and many
other fruits and enjoyed the flowers. Mum said that her mum
would tell them that the name ―daisies‖ comes from ―day‘s eyes‖
because they closed in the evening.
Mum went to High School in St Albans with a scholarship.
She then got a job as a governess to two boys in the afternoons.
It was 1918, and the High School had been evacuated for the
military. Lessons were held in a ―drill hall‖. A year before
college Mum was offered a job as a ―monitress-in-training‖
(teacher‘s assistant) in an infant‘s school. – There will be more
about the following years as a teacher in her memories.
In 1928 my parents met for the first time at a Wesleyan
Methodist conference near London.
Cyril Llewelin Harries was born in Cardiff, Wales, also in
1901 (on August 29th
). After World War I there was virtually no
work, but my father managed to get a job near Swansea for a
colliery company, being in charge of the office. My parents met
again at another conference. They then got engaged, but were
still living two-hundred miles apart. They married the following
August (1929) and went to mid Wales for their honeymoon, then
settled near Swansea, south Wales. While they were having a
house built, they rented another house, but with no furniture.
Jennie was born in September 1931. Llewelin lost his job 1932,
so my Grandmother Charlotte Clift invited the small family to
live with her in St. Albans. Grandfather Frederick had died some
years before. Soon after, my parents joined the Quakers. They
also joined the ―Peace Pledge Union‖ and campaigned for peace
and against war. Then they heard of the Bruderhof.
Keep In Touch Newsletter 7 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
Bessie on honey
moon in Mid-Wales
The place, which
was called Willers-
ley Castle, was in
the mountains, the
Pennines, and we
had some good
walks together and
became engaged.
Then we were sepa-
rated for another
year, except for a
couple of visits
from Llewelyn to
my home; I was
teaching, and Lle-
welyn did account-
ing. We both began
to save what we
could, but it wasn‘t
very much. We were married very quietly as my father was ill,
and only my family was there. We went to Mid-Wales for our
honeymoon and spent our time mostly in the mountains and on
the river Wye. Two years later Jenny was born, which was a very
joyful experience, and meant very much to us. Llewelyn took
many snap shots of her and would play on his violin to help her
to sleep. We had a folding pram and took her with us for walks
and by bus to the sea and had great joy in every new develop-
ment.
One Monday morning Llewelyn came home and said he was
―sacked‖ – he had lost his job. He had refused to do something,
which was dishonest in the bookkeeping. It was 1932, a time of
great depression and unemployment in Wales. There was no
hope of getting another job, and we had not saved much and
were not eligible for unemployment money. My mother invited
us to share her house in St. Albans – she was a widow by then.
We were very grateful and moved. It was a long journey in No-
vember or December. On this journey I got out of the train to buy
a bottle of milk for Jenny, but nearly missed the train that way! I
ran along the already moving wagons and signaled to the guard.
The train slowed
down and I was able
to get on.
First Cotswold visit
in June1936
In February 1933
Anthony was born.
Meanwhile Lle-
welyn answered
many, many adverts
or wrote to firms but
there was no re-
sponse. I did some
supply teaching. Fi-
nally Llewelyn got a
job in the office of a
stocking factory
where he came in
contact with some
Bessy with Jenny
1931
Quakers. They were very warm and friendly and we started
going to their meetings, which appealed to us. It was always
quiet, but a warm friendly atmosphere. Soon we were joining a
group of people who, like us, were concerned to find a different
way of life. We had ideas of co-operating with other families,
preferably in the country. A few years passed by. We read the
―Friend‖ – the Quaker monthly paper – and one day found a let-
ter from Jack Hoyland about his visit to the Rhönbruderhof. Two
things struck us especially, the way they would struggle for unity
and the joy they had together in country dancing. So we wrote
asking if we could visit for two weeks during Llewelyn‘s holiday
in June, 1936. An answer came saying the Bruderhof had now
started in England at Ashton Keynes and we would be very wel-
come. We asked about bringing the children and the answer
came, ―Oh bring them, we have a little boy here who has no
playmates!‖ (That was Jakob Gneiting.) So we went on June the
20th
1936.
Everybody spoke German except for Arnold and Gladys Ma-
son and Freda Bridgwater, and neither of us knew a word except
―Ich dien‖, stamped on the English coins. Prince Albert came
from Sachsen-Coburg in Germany. We travelled on a very hot
day and had arrived pretty exhausted and met Gerd Wegner who
jumped off his bike and directed us to the Cotswold house. There
Annemarie Arnold welcomed us very warmly with a big pot of
tea, which was very welcome. We were given a room in the grey
Cottage with four iron beds and straw mattresses, a table and
four chairs, something to eat – very simple, but we were so
thankful to be there. We felt very strongly a warm atmosphere.
There was much to do, as the farm was very run down – mud
everywhere. Llewelyn worked with Hans-Hermann Arnold in the
garden, making homemade concrete blocks for the buildings
along with Joseph Stängl. I was with Freda in the laundry which
was very primitive. We had to pump all the water we used and
heat it in a copper. We also boiled all the white things in the
copper. The dining room in the Cotswold house was quite small,
heated by an open fire when it was cold. At mealtimes something
was read or reported in German and we sang songs from the
―Sonnenlieder.‖ Sometimes Arnold translated what was said.
We were invited to afternoon snack by couples – Hardy and
Edith Arnold with Bubi, Arnold and Gladys Mason with ―Jonny
boy‖, Heini and Annemarie Arnold, Alfred and Gretel Gneiting,
who had three children. I think Michael was a bit of a rascal but I
am not quite sure. All couples answered our questions and we
appreciated it very much that they gave us their time. I think we
didn‘t realize how much they all had to do.
There seemed to be always many guests on the Cotswold
Bruderhof, some deeply interested, some very critical, so there
were often guest meetings, which were pretty lively and helpful.
I remember one meeting with us, which must have been with the
Brotherhood. We were asked if we had any questions. I said I
couldn‘t see how the parents could have a good contact with
their children when they were separated all day. The children did
not come home at the midday. Heini said, after a pause, ―Love
will find a way.‖ I felt satisfied that that was so.
At the end of the fortnight we both felt this life is what we
wanted, but I was a bit hesitant about giving a definite answer;
one thing being that I wouldn‘t see much of the children (Jenny
now nearly five, and Anthony over three years old). I found that
very hard. Another thing bothering me: Why had everyone to
dress alike; the women in long, long skirts and with headscarves?
Llewelyn went home because he had to go to his job and I stayed
on for a few weeks. No one tried to persuade me in any way.
When I felt quite certain, I went home to Llewelyn and left the
children behind – Jenny with Freda, and Anthony with Hardy
and Edith.
Keep In Touch Newsletter 8 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
We were packing up, preparing to go, but we were also very
keen for our friends to hear about the Bruderhof, especially some
who had also been looking for a different, more brotherly and
more sharing way of life. Various brothers came to our house in
St. Albans near London to talk with our friends, or to do ―Wer-
bung‖ [mission], or learn English (Hans-Hermann). Hardy and
Arnold came, as well as Herman Arnold – he went to London to
learn publishing. Another task of these visiting brothers was to
go to London to help the young brothers of military age into
England, since some had no passports. They had a good friend in
Alexander Maxwell, the Home Secretary. We looked forward
eagerly to their visits and incidentally hoped they had enough to
eat. I was so used to cooking very simple, small meals. They
were trying so hard to get money for the community as they had
so little.
The main house on the Cotswold Bruderhof (photo from Friede-
mann archive)
After some weeks at home we received a message that it would
be good to come back. I guess we had done quite a bit of talking
about the life. So we sent our furniture and stuff by rail and went
on bikes, spending one night somewhere on the way. Now we
were there for good and very happy. Our two children had picked
up many German words and we knew none and couldn‘t under-
stand them. They had been glad to have playmates and were very
much at home.
Groups from the continent arrived
Everywhere preparations were being made for the arrival of
groups from the continent. The brotherhood consisted mainly of
single young men – Gerd Wegner, Werner Friedemann, Wilhelm
Fischer, Hermann Arnold, and more – who were finding their
way to England to avoid military service in Germany. The main
Cotswold house was cleared – all sorts of things were thrown
down from the attic windows. The bungalow was made habita-
ble, also the grey cottages.
The hard working brothers made cement blocks with which
to build. First of all a cow stall was reconstructed. All who were
keen picked up a hammer and banged on the foundation stone – I
think Tommy Paul, Llewelyn and me. Afterwards Ria Kiefer
said, ―Now we have three new Novices!‖ Victor and Hilda
Crawley arrived, also Sylvia Walker, she came with little Clare.
(Sylvia‘s husband had died.)
I worked a lot in the Kindergarten with Gretel Gneiting, Mar-
got Savodelli [later Davies], sometimes Annemarie Arnold, Nan-
cy Watkins [later Trapnell], Gertrud Arnold, Ursel Boller and on
shower days Lotti Ahrend [later Magee]. In the shower room was
a square concrete basin, sunk into the floor. The thirty children
were washed and then played under the shower in the big basin
(Planschbecken). This they all enjoyed very much and we then
had to dry them, hair as well, and see they got dressed. On those
days Ria sent us a special snack – coffee and perhaps sausage –
to strengthen us for the task. I was so amazed to see Annemarie
Arnold standing there, knitting away and giving instructions to
the children. We sang a lot, the children drew pictures. There
was a sand heap, a paddling pool; every child had a little garden.
One or two children had watering cans. After lunch the children
had their rest in a special room with a counter on three sides.
Each child had a blanket and a special place, and one sister had
watch. Afterwards we had to comb and plait the little girl‘s hair
and give them each a cup of milk.
I enjoyed working in the Kindergarten very much. We were
singing quite a lot, mostly nursery rhymes and sometimes simple
hymns. We played ring games and action songs with the children
in German and English. Our favorite was ―Dornröschen war ein
schönes Kind,‖ ―Here we go looky loo,‖ ―Do you know the muf-
fin man,‖ ―Zeigt her eure Füßschen,‖ ―Nun zieht Hampelmann
sein kleines Hemdchen an,‖ For one wedding we learnt ―Dashing
away with the smoothing iron.‖ Evening and morning songs we-
re also popular: ―Guten Morgen lieber Sonnenschein, ―Die Son-
ne schlief die ganze Nacht.‖ We went out for walks a lot, for in-
stance to the Thames, to Ashton Keynes, or just across the fields
to enjoy the wild roses and honeysuckle. In the autumn we en-
joyed gathering blackberries along the hedgerows.
In the play area behind the Kindergarten bungalow there was
a big sand box, where the children played very happily, making
all sorts of things: cakes, animals, castles and rivers, often expe-
riencing what was happening in the community or remembering
something from a story they listened too. There was also a pad-
dling pool for hot days, but I don‘t remember any swimsuits. We
just tucked their clothes up as well as we could. If a child was
naughty it had to come out of the group for a little while. The
children didn‘t like lettuce – you‘d always find it under the table.
Early in 1938 Llewelyn and I were baptised by Hardy Vetter
in a group with Ursel Boller, Gerrit and Cor Fros. That was a
very serious and solemn occasion, but I feel I did not go deep
enough. I certainly meant it very seriously.
I remember very well the visit of two Hutterian brothers, Da-
vid and Michael Vetter. They were very warm and very firm. We
were Novices and sometimes met with them. They lived at the
top of the Cotswold House and at breakfast time we could hear
them singing and praying. We lived on the floor below them, but
when their window was open you could also hear them singing
outside the house. They then crossed the channel to the Rhön-
Cotswold soon became lively: Dorli Bolli and Gertrud Braun
(Wegner), taking a children group for a walk/ride 1939.
(Photo submitted by Elisabeth Bohlken-Zumpe)
Keep In Touch Newsletter 9 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
bruderhof. As we all know, they were a great help to the group
there, also with the German authorities and were able to visit and
comfort the three brothers in jail (Hans Meier, Hannes Boller and
Karl Keiderling). Later on the group of brothers and sisters, who
had fled to Holland, came to the Cotswold Bruderhof, also those
from the Almbruderhof. This was a great joy,
Living on the Telling Farm
Many new people came and we moved with several other fami-
lies to the Telling Farm, about a mile away. I remember Hans
and Margrit Meier and Danny as a baby, also the Fischli family.
We had an old-fashioned coach, drawn by a strong horse, to take
the families from the Telling Farm to the Cotswold Bruderhof
each morning after breakfast and take us home at 5.30pm. This
we all enjoyed very much. We used to go out early and pick
blackberries for breakfast – delicious juicy ones.
There were always many guests, and many of them joined. In
1938 we bought the Oaksey Farm. I only remember going there
once for an afternoon. It was a beautiful place. The day we took
over Oaksey Farm was, I believe, the Sunday morning when Ki-
lian Zumpe and Andrew Harries were presented in the Gemein-
destunde.
The Birmingham group came Easter Sunday. Jabez and Elisabeth
Watkins were part of that group. There probably was a fire then.
I know I was very struck by this frightening event.
In 1939 the Second World War broke out and we experienced
quite a lot of hostility from the people in the neighborhood. If we
were out with the children and the siren gave a warning, we used
to get into the thick hedges and ditches for hiding when the ene-
my planes came over. At night we would go down stairs to the
Marchants, because there was no cellar in that house to go to.
The brothers and the children were in the corridors – that was the
best protection we could find; the lower down in the house the
safer – and away from the windows. At this time we had the
wooden dining room.
One evening, in the middle of supper, I had to go to the mo-
therhouse. Everything was blacked out and the bombers were
flying over. I think Phyllis Rabbits [later Woolston] was with
me; Ruthie was born that evening. All over the country people
had to have gas masks, we too, as protection from the poison gas
the Germans were spreading. We always had to have them with
us. There were large concrete blocks placed in our fields, so that
planes could not land. We had a five mile limit and other restric-
tions. To be continued
The Confrontation Between The Bruderhof And The German
National-Socialist Government 1933 to 1937 – Part 7 By Hans Zumpe
During March one after another all those scheduled to come, ar-
rived in England. For some the journey was quite eventful; it was
difficult to obtain transit permits through France for everyone.
Different routes had to be explored. After Werner Friedemann
had flown to England, only to be returned by the same route, a
group set out via Italy, Spain and France.
In the meantime the Almbruderhof heard from the NSDAP-
local [Ortsgruppe] Liechtenstein in Vaduz. On the 11th
of March
1936 they wrote ―to the military service eligible German nation-
als in the Principality of Liechtenstein‖: ―Enclosed find notifica-
tion from the German General Consulate in Zurich regarding
registration for military service. The requisite application forms
are to be obtained from the undersigned. The regulations with re-
spect to military service are to be observed here as well. The ap-
plication forms, photographs and detailed curriculum vita are to
be delivered personally to the leader of the local group
[Ortsgruppenleiter] by the 27th
of March 1936. Heil Hitler,
[signed by:] Karl Vermbreck, Vaduz, Ortsgruppenleiter.‖
Stamped beneath this notification: ―National Socialists Ger-
man Working Party, Country Group Switzerland, Local Group
NOTES BY THE EDITOR: Hans Zumpe presented a con-
densed version of this report during meetings in Primavera on
26th
and 28th
July 1945 for the 25th
anniversary of the Bruderhof.
While quotes from Eberhard Arnold and newspaper clippings
etc. are reproduced verbatim, the Hans Zumpe report has been
edited using modern terminology, but eliminating none of the
content. More about the history of this account and its translation
into English can be found in the ― Introduction to Hans Zumpe‘s
Report from 1945‖ in the Keep In Touch Newsletter No 3 Dec.
2007, page 8, which also contains the first part of this report.
Comments in angled brackets [ ] are explanations by the edi-
tors.
SA: Nazi Sturmabteilung/Braunhemden
SS: Nazi Schutz-Staffel/Schwarzhemden
Liechtenstein‖ [―Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei,
Landesgruppe Schweiz, Ortsgruppe Liechtenstein.‖] – This
stamp indicated the significance of the NSDAP in countries out-
side Germany at that time.
ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER IN GERMANY
But there was no one there who had to register. God had once
again helped us out in a wonderful way, at just the right time.
Once everyone was reunited on the Cotswold Bruderhof, Hans
Meier and I returned, Hans to the Rhönbruderhof and I to the
Almbruderhof. The third problem would be solved later! The
Home Office granted us all residence permits.
In the mean time, German troops had moved into the Rhinel-
and. Could that possibly have consequences for us? What would
happen to anyone in Germany who opposed dictatorial power?
What would happen to our Rhönbruderhof? Initially we contin-
ued wrestling with all the old problems and new ones that
emerged. We were suddenly informed that a long term mortgage
had to be paid up. Furthermore a new measure was introduced by
the authorities aimed at curtailing our small income. We were
not granted the door-to-door sales permits necessary to sell tur-
nery and books in Germany. We sent a complaint to the Admin-
istrative Court in Fulda. The following will explain details:
―The publishing house applied to the Mayor of Veitsteinbach,
to supply authorization permits to several Bruderhof members as
travelling salesmen: Hans Meier, August Dyroff, Adolf Braun
and Karl Keiderling. Our application was turned down on Febru-
ary 27th
1936 by the Mayor in his capacity as Chief of the Veits-
teinbach Police. He was ordered to refuse our application by his
superior officer in agreement with the Secret Police in Kassel.
The refusal occurred in reference to paragraph.44a section 2, as
well as paragraph 57 section 1 no. 2a, of the Reichsgewerbeord-
nung [national trade order]. According to which a sales permit
should be refused, ‗if there is evidence that the applicant would
misuse his business for activities against the state.‘ In the above
statement by the Mayor it is further stated: ‗This condition ap-
plies to you.‘
Keep In Touch Newsletter 10 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
―It was left to us to appeal to the Administrative Court in Fulda
against this decree within two weeks of receipt, which is effected
herewith.
―We ask the Administrative Court in Fulda in conjunction
with the Secret Police Station in Kassel to re-examine the con-
cerns of the Neuwerk Bruderhof in Neuhof-Fulda, which is con-
nected to the publishing house. We don't know of any predisposi-
tions which would lead us to act as enemy of the state. …
―Because of the closure of the children‘s home, the Neuwerk-
Bruderhof e.V. has had a considerable cash shortfall. We will
endeavour to send contributions to our Neuwerk-Bruderhof
through our Almbruderhof in Liechtenstein, as well as through
our wide circle of friends in a variety of European and non Euro-
pean states. This, also in the interest of the foreign exchange for
Germany, as was fully recognized by the Commissioner for For-
eign Exchange Control in Fulda, Mr. Rothe. Nevertheless, it is
important that the Neuwerk-Bruderhof e.V. has a regular income
through the sale of books from our publishing house.‖
The District Councilor and Chairman of the Administrative
Court wrote the following reply to the publishing house Eberhard
Arnold Verlag GmbH, Gemeinde Veitsteinbach, on the 12th
of
March 1936, under the reference L.P.0260, signed by Dr. Burk-
hardt:
―The Mayor, as chief of the local police has followed the in-
structions of the State Police when rejecting the authorization of
permits for your members. Orders from the State Police cannot
be appealed against through the administrative courts, but must
be addressed by a complaint to the Secret Police Department in
Berlin. The notification given to you by the Mayor [to appeal to
the Administrative Court in Fulda] is incorrect. However I have
forwarded your submission of the 9th
of March this year, together
with enclosures, as a complaint to the State Police.―
During the month of July we invited the Hutterian brothers in
North America to visit us and to help us. But it took over six
months before they sent someone.
THE MENNONITES WORLD CONFERENCE WAS
DISAPPOINTING
At the beginning of July the Mennonite‘s World Conference took
place in Amsterdam and Elspeet. Emmy [Arnold] and I had got-
ten ourselves invitations in the hope of finding new friends.
The conference was attended by about four hundred Menno-
nites, mostly German and Dutch. Only ten came from America.
We hoped to find understanding for our views and faith based on
the Anabaptist movement, and to give testimony to what had be-
come important for us in the present days. However the German
Mennonites were all totally in favor of the German regime and
the Dutch extremely reticent. They all agreed to speak about eve-
rything except ―politics‖. By politics they meant any position to
be taken based on faith towards the state and military service.
In response to a talk about "Mennonites and culture" a few
revolutionary elements, in particular our Dutch friend Fritz Kui-
per, commented on the public responsibility Baptists must take
against the violence of present times. That was the moment for
me to make a clear statement about our commitment to ―not
owning personal property‖ and ―pacifism‖. I combined this with
a call to all to return to the faith of the forefathers. My testimony
was sharply rejected by the German Mennonites.
Only here in Paraguay did I get hold of the printed report of
the conference from the Mennonites. It is edited by Christian
Neff in the publishing house Heinrich Schneider, Karlsruhe. In it,
this meeting is described.
Amongst other things, on page 143 it states: ―Hans Zumpe
from Liechtenstein elucidated that the world renouncing stance
of the Bruderhof was a requirement for the present time for all
whose beliefs are based on Anabaptist principles!― How this
Hans Zumpe, author of this report, on a visit in the German town
Rottenburg probably in 1970 or 71.
(photo submitted by Andy Harries)
happened will become clear to the attentive reader in the follow-
ing sentences, in which the answer of the German Mennonites is
described:
―Brother Dyck II, Ladekopp, represented the opinion of the
German Mennonites who long for peace between nations as do
all sincere Christians, but who obey the government with regard
to military service, ready to sacrifice themselves alongside their
national comrades!‖
So on the whole the World Conference was a disappointment
for us, although we did establish important connections with in-
dividual Mennonites. After the official conference a ―secret‖ fol-
low-up meeting took place on July 4th
1936 at a different location
in Fredeshiem. Here the ―anti war‖ Mennonites met under the
leadership of our friend ter Meulen. There were barely twenty
people present: all the American conference delegates, a few
Dutch, a man from Danzig, a Mr. Fast from Wernigerode, and
the two of us from the Bruderhof. This meeting was more impor-
tant for us than the whole of the rest of the event. Here there was
understanding of our attitudes towards the demands of the state
based on our faith. Here were our true friends. After various dis-
cussions about the need to testify for peace in the present times,
and to the world, we came to a joint statement of all those
present to the effect that we would promote pacifism in all cir-
cumstances, and help those eligible for military service that are
in inner conflict. The exact wording of the statement is some-
where in our archives, but unfortunately could not be found to
date. This meeting put us in contact with Orie Miller, who was
later again of great help to us. Through him we came to Para-
guay.
After the conference I visited our old friend Kees Boeke, who
unfortunately no longer stood by his past Christian-Anarchist
conviction. He was no different than any other ordinary inhabi-
tant of the state.
OUR FUTURE IN GERMANY SEEMS DIRE
I was apprehensive traveling back across the Dutch border into
Germany. I expected my public declaration to the Mennonites
would have consequences, because a representative of the Ger-
man government was present at the meeting. The German Men-
nonites had brought along Principal Kundt from the Foreign Of-
fice. But nothing happened.
After a visit to the Rhönbruderhof I tried, through various ac-
quaintances to find out about our future prospects in Germany. I
visited Johannes Warns, who is known to some of us through his
Keep In Touch Newsletter 11 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
book about baptism. His Bible school in the Rhineland had been
taken over by the N.S.D.A.P. He viewed the national political
situation pessimistically, and predicted there was no chance that
we could stay in Germany any longer. Curiously, he thought that
the safest place for us would be in the Balkan States.
During a visit to the German Foreign Institute in Stuttgart, an
employee, Dr. Kaser, who had just returned from a study trip to
Slovakia, told me he had come across the Habaner, the Hutterite
followers in Lewär and Sabatisch. They interested him as ―dis-
persed Germans.‖ I tried to remind him of the beliefs and faith
of the early Hutterians in an attempt to get him to understand our
problems, but it was not possible. A department head at the insti-
tute, Dr. Hans Kloss, who turned out to be the brother of a guest
at Sannerz (Gerhard Kloss) was a little more open. As he already
knew us, Kloss promised to give us a good testimonial if the
threat to dissolve the Rhönbruderhof should recur. But he did not
believe we would get through with our attitude about military
conscription. Later letters to him remained unanswered.
It was an extremely difficult time. We had to fight for the in-
ner and outer existence of our community life on three Bruder-
hofs in three different countries. Every day we feared the worst,
especially for those members who stayed behind at the Rhönbru-
derhof. The prospects for us in Germany were getting ever more
hopeless, although we didn‘t hear much about dissolution. It was
strangely quiet. But all the time the National Socialist State tried
slowly and relentlessly to strangle our life existence. It was a dif-
ferent approach than we had expected, but no less gruesome. It
went way beyond our strength, and it showed especially in our
inner unity.
THE AUTHORITIES REFUSE OUR RIGHTS OF
ADOPTION AND GUARDIANSHIP
Of particular interest to the authorities were the children on the
Almbruderhof who did not originate from our own families.
When Else [Tata] died, the guardianship of her adopted child,
Walter von Hollander, was transferred to Eberhard Arnold. After
his death, Emmy Arnold tried to take his place. However, the
guardianship was not transferred to her, but to officer Rodemer
from the district administration office in Fulda. He demanded
that the child return to Germany. But just in time, we sent Walter
to the Cotswold Bruderhof in England.
Marie Eckardt wanted to adopt our Rudi Hildel. The Munici-
pal Court in Nürnberg spent a long time dealing with this appli-
cation. In the end the court asked the District Child Welfare Of-
fice in Fulda for an expert opinion. They suggested the adoption
be refused: Quote:
―The circumstances of the Bruderhof‘s social-pedagogic
working community have not changed in any way. International-
ism and pacifism are now as before the ideological foundations
of the Bruderhof community. All German Brotherhood members
eligible for military service have been moved to their second set-
tlement in Liechtenstein, while locally there are now a large
number of foreigners in residence. There is no reason at all to
make concessions to the Bruderhof or any of its members. I am
therefore requesting that the confirmation of the adoption agree-
ment Eckardt/Hildel should be declined on the grounds stated
previously (see the letter of the Govenor in Kassel on May3rd
1934 – A 1 a A 61 – 011 B –).‖
Thereupon the Municipal Court declined the guardianship on
the 2nd
of July 1936. Their reasoning was as follows:
―Until the end of 1933 ward ship was granted to the Bruder-
hof. During December, 1933, he was moved to the children‘s
home Sonnenblick in Trogen, Kanton Appenzell, which be-
longed to the Bruderhof. This happened after the permit to take
in foster children was withdrawn from the Bruderhof community
by the Governor in Kassel. The withdrawal occurred because a
Nationalistic education cannot be guaranteed by the generally
pacifistic attitude of the Brudehof. According to the opinion of
the District Councilor in Fulda, family ties could be established,
but judging by past community life on the Bruderhof it cannot be
expected. The properties owned are communal. Therefore the
child‘s education and training follows after the sense of the
community. The Councilor cannot regard the adoption in any
other light than as a means of raising new Brotherhood members.
So long as the Bruderhof community intentionally nurtures an in-
ternational atmosphere it cannot guarantee that their members are
able to deliver a National Socialist education for the children
they care for, in accordance with the state requirements. ...
Speaking from the point of view of public interest, there are good
reasons for not establishing family ties between the contractors.
From this it is questionable why family ties should be established
by permitting a parent-child-relationship.‖
AUTHORISATION PERMITS ARE DENIED
A further official document dated 1st of June 1936 was belatedly
delivered to us on the 8th
of September. This time the subject was
the peddler‘s licenses for our brothers who wanted to sell books.
The notification, which had the signature of Mayor Zeiher, a
farmer from Veitsteinbach, who could not have written it him-
self, reveals the attitude of the authorities. The letterhead identi-
fies the ―Mayor as Chief of the Local Police‖; it is stamped by
the District Committee in Fulda, and addressed to the Adminis-
trative Court in Fulda. At the end of the letter is the stamp of the
Mayor as Chief of the Local Police in Veitsteinbach, district of
Fulda. The letter is ―signed: Mayor Zeiher.‖
―Rebuttal regarding the administrative dispute by Eberhard
Arnold Verlag GmbH in Veitsteinbach against me because of the
refusal of the sales permits for four members of the Bruderhof.
―My refusal in respect of the members of the Bruderhof,
Hans Meier, August Dyroff, Adolf Braun and Karl Keiderling is
not based on the individual unreliability and unsuitability of the
individuals, but on the fact that the propaganda initiated by the
Bruderhof is hostile to the state. The Eberhard Arnold Verlag
GmbH is nothing more than a part of the Neuwerk-Bruderhof
e.V. in Veitsteinbach, which owns over half of the shares in the
Eberhard Arnold Verlag. The rest are almost exclusively in the
hands of the leaders of the Bruderhof e.V. Therefore without
doubt the Eberhard Arnold Verlag is involved in exactly the
same activities as the Bruderhof e.V itself whose activities are
hostile to the state.
―I am referring to documented events of the last three years.
There can be no doubt that the members of the Bruderhof, who
once called themselves ―Noble Communists‖, stand by the prin-
ciples of this ideology today and promote it actively. They have
an entirely communist ideology in complete opposition to the
principles of the National Socialist State. For example, they re-
ject the essential prerogatives and interests of the national com-
munity and the state, and they do not acknowledge the National
Socialist Basic Law regarding blood and race. It is also a fact
that the Bruderhof community declines all involvement in mili-
tary service. When the new Conscription Law came into effect,
they quickly sent all Bruderhof members of German nationality,
especially those, who might be the right age for military service,
to their branch community Silum in the Principality of Liech-
tenstein in order to escape compulsory military service.
―The members of the Bruderhof have stated they could never
become National Socialists. It is not my intention to restrict indi-
vidual members of the Bruderhof in their freedom of conscience.
As chief of the local police I could see no grounds for police in-
tervention if the Bruderhof community would concern them-
selves only with their own group, and cease their endeavors to
recruit new members. But they do not do so. The regular increase
Keep In Touch Newsletter 12 Vol. XXI No 3 December 2009
in membership demonstrates that they are developing most effec-
tive strategies for promoting their ideas. The activities of the
Eberhard Arnold Verlag serve only to promote their ideology,
which in my opinion is hostile to the state. I am not therefore in a
position to issue the authorization permits. I ask you to withdraw
the appeal.‖
The Administrative Court had encouraged us to submit a
counter statement. We did so on 26th
of September 1936, in a ten
page letter. In the meantime, however, a new problem had come
up. During the past year several of our families, especially from
the older generation had returned to the Rhönbruderhof. Also
some new German nationals had become members. This led to
another short letter from the Mayor of Veitsteinbach Zeiher on
the 11th
of September 1936:
―All males born 1900-1905 must report for entry into the mil-
itary service register. I ask you make a list of all affected indi-
viduals.
To be continued
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