AUGUST GOLLA (1911 – 1941)

August (born in 1911) grew up as the third child and Anna (born in 1918) as the fifth of six children of Sebastian and Christine Golla in Wesermünde (now Bremerhaven). Four of Anna and August’s siblings survived the war and died in the 1970s. They are said to have spoken very rarely about August and Anna. The story was documented after their death by the daughters of the youngest brother.

August Golla worked as a net maker. In November 1936, he had a wine-induced fit and said some disturbing things. Because of his strange behaviour, he was taken to hospital. From there, he was transferred to the psychiatric ward in Lüneburg, where he spent the next four years. During this time, his mother kept in close contact and was very concerned about her son’s well-being.

Christine Golla wrote a series of letters to the Lüneburg Institution. The first surviving letter dates from July 1937, and a final postcard (a greeting for Pentecost) reached the Lüneburg Institution in May 1940. August Golla was among the first 120 male patients who were »economically transferred« from Lüneburg directly to the Pirna-Sonnenstein killing centre, where they were gassed. He was probably murdered on the day of his arrival on 7 March 1941.

August’s sister Anna Golla fell ill two years after her brother. She had previously worked as a domestic helper. In February 1943, she was admitted to Wesermünder Hospital. A week later, she ran away. A month later, she was admitted to the Lüneburg Institution and Nursing Home. Because Anna refused to participate in work therapy and was uncooperative, she was considered a difficult patient. She remained at the Lüneburg Institution for only six months. On 8 September 1943, she was transferred with around 300 other patients to the Pfafferode killing centre (Mühlhausen, Thuringia).

Christine also wrote a series of letters to her daughter Anna, inquiring about her well-being. The last letter reached Anna a month before her death. The reply to Christine’s letter was pessimistic. There had been no improvement, and her physical condition had deteriorated: »The patient has become very weak. […] Given her poor physical condition, healing measures cannot be carried out either.« Anna died on 11 October 1944.