August Hubert Bendick
Thank you to Nathan Dana for the photos and narrative on Brother Bendick.
August Hubert Bendick (known as Hubert) was born on 13 March, 1889, in Mettingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. His father, Heinrich, was 40 and his mother, Maria, was 39. He was the youngest of 6 children.
Before the war Hubert placed 1st in the Gepackmarsch in 1913 (held in Hamburg?). This was a 50 km foot march that the German army hosted. I'm told it was a big deal at the time.
Hubert crossing the finish line at the 1913 Gepackmarsch.
Hubert’s trophy from the 1913 Gepackmarsch.
Following that and until the war he and his 2 brothers (Clemens and Josef) were members of the vegetarian association (hence the symbols on their shirts in some of the pictures). They traveled Germany and promoted athletics and health. Neither of his brothers survived the war.
Hubert served as an artillery sergeant (unteroffizier) and was stationed at Rawka-Bzura on the Polish front.
After the war he worked as a metalsmith. He made several beautiful pieces of art both during and after the war (to include the war monument in his hometown of Metingen, picture attached, as well as some of him with his trench art).
The World War 1 monument in Metingen.
He met his wife through a letter writing campaign, where German girls would send letters to Soldiers on the front. Erna was from a Lutheran family and Hubert was raised Catholic. He converted to Lutheranism during the war (much to the dismay of his family) on Erna's behalf and joined a Masonic lodge (coin pictures below) shortly thereafter. I'm told that this was in '16 but the records are pretty shotty due to the rise of the Nazi party. So the date in which he was initiated, passed, and raised has become more family lore of "that time Hubert really upset the Catholic side of the family and joined a lodge".
He Married Meta Hedwig Erna Hannermann (Erna) on 15 November, 1918 and had six children; Lotte [my grandmother], Helmut, Sylvia, Hedwig, Meta and Gunther.
Following World War 2, It is believed he attended allied military lodges, but Freemasonry in Germany at that time was in a pretty precarious state.
He died on 2 February, 1962, in Friedberg, Hesse, Germany, at the age of 72.
You can see the rest of Brother Bendick’s photos below.
Soft and safe be thy resting place, bright and glorious be thy rising from it..
Lest we forget…
Hubert during the 1913 Gepackmarsch.
