Fritz Farnbacher

Fritz Farnbacher was born in Augsburg on October 19, 1885. He was the son of Simon and Lina Farnbacher. At that time, his father was 35 years old and his mother 21. About the early years of his life, hardly anything is known, since the only very few pieces of information are documented in the archives. In World War I, he served in the German Army and was decorated with the Iron Cross 2nd Class. After the war, Fritz became cashier of the Augsburg local group of the “Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten” (Association of Jewish War Veterans).

His father Simon Farnbacher was a respected merchant. He ran the business “Wernecker & Farnbacher” at 11 Hermanstrasse. It sold notions, fashion accessories and toys. In 1829, the company had been founded in Pfersee by Mathias Farnbacher, Fritz’s Grandfather, and Alexander Wernecker. Back then, they still focussed on selling pipe products on markets and fairs. When, on July 26, 1860, the grandfather received license in Augsburg, the family moved into town.

In 1900, Simon Farnbacher became the company’s sole proprietor, but kept the name of the enterprise. In 1907, a new house was built at 11 Hermanstrasse. Simon signed the company over to his two sons, Fritz and Otto, which they took charge of after his death in 1929.

Fritz Farnbacher married Frieda Reis, who was from Munich, had moved to Augsburg in 1918 and, up until their wedding, had worked as a kindergarten teacher. They had three children: Their daughter Gertrud was born in 1919 and the twins Ernst and Rudolf on April 1, 1925. After she had married Fritz, she devoted her time to the children and the household. Shortly before the twins were born, Fritz Farnbacher bought a house at 31 Hochfeldstrasse.

Fritz’s older brother Otto and his family also lived in Augsburg. Otto had been born on August 13, 1884 and was married with Selma Heilberg. She was from Meudt in today’s state of Rheinland-Pfalz and had been born on September 17, 1901. Their children were Hans Matthias (1923-2002) and Kurt (*1925).

When the National Socialists assumed power in 1933, the brothers with about 100 people on their payroll, were among the large employers in the Augsburg city center. The company was listed in a call for boycott published by the National Socialists on March 31, 1933. Fritz and Otto defended themselves against the antisemitic attacks with several written confirmations of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). They affirmed the good reputation and the reliability of the owners.

Meanwhile, Gertrud was busy with her education at the Maria Theresia School, from which she graduated in 1936 at the age of 16. Afterwards, in order to improve her English, she joined a Swiss boarding school. Then she went to Lausanne to polish her French. After having finished her linguistic training, in 1938, she attended a commercial school in Berlin. After the pogrom in the night of November 9, 1938, Gertrud moved back to Augsburg to support her family.

Already in September 1938, Fritz and Otto Farnbacher had forcibly sold their business and the premises below value. The operations were taken over by Grimm, Schmitt and Co. In 1940, they had to transfer them to the NSDAP, since Hermanstrasse was to be remodeled in the course of the planned regional party convention center (“Gauforum”). As early as January 1938, Fritz had sold the home at 31 Hochfeldstrasse. The family could continue to live there, albeit with several other Jewish families, since the National Socialists used the property as so-called “Jew’s house”.

In 1939, with the help of another girl, whom she had met in 1936 during her stay in Switzerland, Gertrud managed to escape to England. She was employed by her friend’s parents as household help, but earned only very little money. She stood up vehemently for her brothers for organizing places for them in a so-called Kindertransport to England. “I took a day off and went to Bloomsbury House. At first, they told me, they could not do anything for my brothers, there were no places left on the Kindertransports. After I had burst in tears, they changed their attitude and promised to accommodate the twins in one of the transports. They arrived shortly befor the war began.” At the time of the transport, Ernst and Rudolf had just turned 14. Their sister described the two of them as “completely different”. Ernst had technical skills and was science oriented, while Rudolf was rather shy and thoughtful.

Upon the twins’ arrival in England, lucky circumstances enabled them to jointly attend a boarding school in Kent for almost two years. Presumably, it was the “New Herrlingen” *school headed by Anna Essinger, a reform educator from Ulm. After this time, the twins’ paths separated. While Rudolf was sent to Birmingham and started an apprenticeship to become a baker, Ernst attended an ORT establishment (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training) in Leeds, in which Jewish youths were to be prepared for a practical oriented life in Israel. All three Farnbacher children suffered from extreme lack of money and, based on their German origin, had a hard time. Ernst had severe depressions and, probably in 1941, committed suicide in Leeds. In 1946 or 1947, Rudolf also took his life due to depressions.

From February 3, 1942 to March 3, 1943, Frieda had to work as forced laborer in the Augsburg balloon factory. Shortly after, Fritz and Frieda Farnbacher were deported to Auschwitz and murdered. After the end of the war, March 17 was declared their day of death.

Otto Farnbacher and his family escaped successfully to the US in 1940. In Dayton OH, Otto founded the wholesale company Farnbacher & Co.

In 1951, Gertrud Farnbacher moved from England to the US, where she got married. She studied psychology and graduated as M.A.

This is an excerpt from the biography prepared by Benedikt Jung, senior class student 2013/2015 of the Paul Klee-Highschool, Gersthofen. He participated in the history-seminar: “Victims of the persecution of the Jews during the NS regime in the Augsburg region”.

Translation: Michael Bernheim