ANNA GOLLA (1918 – 1944)

August (born in 1911) grew up in Wesermünde (now Bremerhaven) as the third and Anna (born in 1918) as the fifth of six children of parents Sebastian and Christine Golla. 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 deaths by the daughters of the youngest brother.

August Golla worked as a net maker. In November 1936, he had a crying fit and said irritating things. He was taken to hospital because of his strange behaviour. From there he was transferred to the Lüneburg psychiatric ward. He spent the next four years there. During this time, his mother kept in close contact with him and was very concerned about her son’s welfare.

Christine Golla wrote a series of letters to the Lüneburg mental hospital. The first surviving letter dates from July 1937, and a final postcard (a greeting for Pentecost) reached the Lüneburg Mental Hospital in May 1940. August Golla was one of the first 120 male patients to be »economically transferred« directly from Lüneburg to the Pirna-Sonnenstein killing centre, where he was 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 Mental Hospital. Because Anna refused to participate in occupational therapy and resisted treatment, 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 health. 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, it is not possible to carry out any treatment«. Anna died on 11 October 1944.