Emil Hercher (1891 - 1977)

Born 31 Mar 1891 in Hinterzarten, Neustadt, Baden, Deutsches Reich

Ancestors

Husband of Clara Kaiser — married 21 Oct 1920 in Hinterzarten, Neustadt, Baden, Deutsches Reich

Descendants

Died 10 Dec 1977 at age 86 in Titisee-Neustadt, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Florian Straub [send private message]

Biography

First Communion (around 1905)

Emil was born on 31 March 1891 as son of Joseph Hercher and Marie Schindler. He was baptized on 2 April. His godparents were Gebhard Späth, the former employer of his mother, and his aunt Brigitta Hercher née Steiert.^[1]

Around 1905 he had his First Communion. He was upset, that he had to wear a hat. This might also be the reason, why he is standing a bit on the side on a group photograph from the day.^[2]

Since 15 May 1913, when he was 22, he worked as a forester ("Förster"),^[3] which made him the youngest forester in the area. His sisters, Marie and Pauline, were not that fond of him and often referred to him just as "the Hercher" ("d' Hercher"). His niece Luise (Steurenthaler) Mechau later assumed that they were jealous on him. They also called him green woodpecker ("Grünspecht") or forest shooter ("Waldschütz"). Once Luise saw her uncle coming and ran to her mother, telling that the "Waldschütz" was coming. Her mother Marie got upset, because she didn't want her brother to find out about that name they were using from him.^[2]

After probably performing his mandatory military service earlier, he entered the military again on 18 December 1914, four months after the German Empire entering World War I. He fought in the 4th Company of Grenadier Regiment 110 (4. Kompanie Grenadier-Regiment 110) until he was lost near Ablain, France, on 15 April 1915. ^[4] The casualty list of 7 May 1915 announced him as missing.^[5] This was corrected by the one of 7 October 1916, which listed him as prisoner.^[6]

On 26 May 1915 he was transferred about from Poitiers (540 km southwest of Ablain) to Montluçon (200 km eastwards of Poitiers).^[7][8] On 13 September 1916, he was moved from Aulnat, about 100 km southeast of Montluçon,^[9] and on 25 May further to La Lande.^[10]

According to family lore he escaped captivity with one or two other soldiers and returned to Germany by foot. Out of fear of being caught, they were only able to travel during the night. Since it was difficult to read road signs in the dark, they climbed the road signs with one person standing on the shoulders of another one in order to get closer to the letters.^[11][12]

They fed on raw crops like carrots.^[11][12] Since Emil was experienced in handling chickens from home, he knew how to catch them while they were asleep. That provided another source of food during their way home. At one point they also managed to steal a pistol somewhere, which Emil's grandson handed it to the authorities after his death, because it was such a dangerous weapon.^[13]

One (or the one?) solider, with whom he managed to escape was pharmacist Heinrich Siever from Lüdenscheid, who every once in a while visited Emil after the war.^[13]

While searching for ammunition in the forest, he was severely wounded by a grenade from World War I.^[14] The grenade was probably identical to the piece he used to keep on his desk, which was about 20 cm high, had similar dimensions as a beer stein with a detonator looking like the top of an Orion or Apollo space ship. The cast iron shell had a hole on the side, which was caused by the shrapnel getting out.^[13]

On 21 October 1920 Emil married Klara Kaiser.^[15] They were living at the forester house in Bisten, a part of Hinterzarten. His wife was five years older than him, a fact this his siblings had to exploit as well. When his sister Pauline, living at Wunderlehof, was accommodating the young Gisela Birkenberger during her mandatory social year ("Pflichtjahr"), they were singing songs during work most of the day. One of them reportedly contained the line „der Hercher in der Biste[n], hat eine alte Kiste“, meaning that the Hercher [living] at Biste, has an old box [for a wife].^[2] Gisela would later become Emil's daughter-in-law.

Autumn 1925 brought a promotion from Forstwart to Oberforstwart.^[16]

On 18 August 1933, during the Nazi era, he joined the National Socialist Motor Corps (Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps, NSKK) in order not to join the Nazi party (NSDAP) itself. Also he was a passionate biker. From 1934 on, he also was member in Reichsbund der Deutschen Beamten, National Socialist People's Welfare (NSV) and NS Reichskriegerbund. ^[3]

On 16 March 1935 he became NSKK-Scharführer. Since he wasn't able to follow the orders of his leaders in political and religious direction, he took leave of absence starting 20 May 1936. On 1 May 1937, he joined the NSDAP under the membership number 4 140 461. Since 26 March 1940, he also was a member of the German Red Cross (DRK). When he was judged about his relationship to the Nazi regime, like all people employed by the state, he benefited from the amnesty for former NSDAP members (Verordnung 133/165) and remained in his position, while having two bonuses skipped. The file also provides a list of monthly salaries he received in the past years:^[3]

Emil built himself a house in Albert-Ketterer-Weg in Hinterzarten. After his wife had passed away due to sickness in 1973, he was living there alone. He started having dementia, which led to his son Oskar and his family moving in with him. This was a rough time for the family, because Emil for example used to wake up the whole house in the middle of the night, thinking it was morning already. They managed to find a place for him a nursery home in Neustadt, but he was banned from there after only three days. In Lenzkirch he was allowed to stay longer, but broke out from there twice. Lost as he was, he went to his former forester house in Bisten instead of his built one. On the way there, some helpful people picked him up and delivered him. With the contemporary residents of the house rejecting him, those people got upset, because they thought he belonged to them. Towards the end of his live, Emil also spent few time in the psychiatric clinic in Emmendingen (the one, in which his brother Joseph spent years in before he was murdered by the Nazis). Emil's sister Marie got pretty upset for Emil being in that clinic.^[17]

Retired district forester ("Revierförster a. D.") Emil passed away on 10 December 1977 and was interred in Hinterzarten on 13 December.^[18]

Research Notes

• He collected all woodpeckers, who were killed by hail in his district and had them padded.^[19]
• The index card about him at the International Committee of the Red Cross contains another number referring to their catalog: 28711.^[20] On the corresponding page to that number, there is no entry about him.^[21]

• Which La Lande was he kept at?

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "Germany, Baden, Archdiocese of Freiburg im Breisgau, Catholic Church Records, 1678-1930", citing Baptism, Hinterzarten, Neustadt, Baden, Deutschland, , Erzbischöfliches Archiv Freiburg (Archbishop's Archives), Germany, FamilySearch Record: QYBT-BKW2 (accessed 16 July 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-892X-167B Image number 00280, Emil Hercher baptism on 31 Mar 1891, son of Joseph Hercher & Maria Schindler, in Hinterzarten, Neustadt, Baden, Deutschland.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} told by Luise (Steurenthaler) Mechau to Florian Straub in October 2014.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Hercher, Emil, Spruchkammer Südbaden: DNZ-Akten, Staatsarchiv Freiburg D 180/2 Nr. 13506, ID 5-592820
4. ↑ Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe, Kriegsstammrollen Erster Weltkrieg, 456 C Nr. 599, Grenadier-Regiment 110, 4. Kompanie, picture 303, #354/464
5. ↑ Deutsche Verlustlisten, Preußen 218, issue 479, page 6251, 7 May 1915, (http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/1924840 : accessed 29 January 2024):

   Ers. Res. Emil Hercher, Hinterzarten, Neustadt, Schwarz., vermißt.

6. ↑ Deutsche Verlustlisten, Preußen 653, issue 1195, page 15372, 7 October 1916 (http://des.genealogy.net/search/show/4763554 : accessed 29 January 2024):

   Hercher, Emil – Hinterzarten – bisher vermißt, in Gefgsch (A. N.)

7. ↑ Prisoners of the First World War, International Committee of the Red Cross (https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5461585/897/5083/ : accessed 1 June 2024), row #8
8. ↑ Prisoners of the First World War, International Committee of the Red Cross (https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5461585/897/3887/ : accessed 1 June 2024), row #26
9. ↑ Prisoners of the First World War, International Committee of the Red Cross (https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5461585/897/20383/ : accessed 1 June 2024), row #1
10. ↑ Prisoners of the First World War, International Committee of the Red Cross (https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5461585/897/19721/ : accessed 1 June 2024), row #16
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} told by his sister Marie Hercher to her grandchild Zähringer-61, who told it to Florian Straub on 18 June 2022
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} told by his niece Luise (Steurenthaler) Mechau to Florian Straub on 23 July 2022
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1 13.2} told by Hercher-50|his grandson]] to Florian Straub during a phone call on 20 April 2024
14. ↑ told by Luise (Steurenthaler) Mechau to Florian Straub on or before 30 May 2008
15. ↑ Marriage: Hinterzarten, Catholic marriages p. 18, 6/1920
16. ↑ Karlsruher Zeitung, 26 November 1925, No. 275 (Badische Landesbibliothek : accessed 28 June 2024)

    Ernannt:

    Forstwart Emil Hercher in Hinterzarten zum Oberforstwart

17. ↑ told by Emil's grandchild W. and Luise (Steurenthaler) Mechau to Florian Straub, probably on 20 May 2015
18. ↑ Burial: Death announcement, Badische Zeitung, December 1977
19. ↑ told by Luise (Steurenthaler) Mechau to Florian Straub on 16 January 2022
20. ↑ Prisoners of the First World War, International Committee of the Red Cross - Details about the person (https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/File/Details/5461585/1/2/ : accessed 1 June 2024)
21. ↑ Prisoners of the First World War, International Committee of the Red Cross (https://grandeguerre.icrc.org/en/List/5461585/901/28711/ : accessed 1 June 2024)