The Latter-day Saint branch in the city of Herford, Westphalia, had sixty-four members when World War II began, but with only five priesthood holders, it was not very robust in a city of 42,339 inhabitants. According to the directory of the West German Mission in June 1939, Elder Ferryle B. McOmber of the United States was the branch president and was serving at the time without counselors. [1] Most of the branch leadership positions were not filled at the time, but there was a Sunday School president, a Primary president, and a YWMIA president.

On August 25, 1939, all American missionaries serving in Germany were evacuated from the country and Elder McOmber left with them. His instructions were to designate a local priesthood holder to guide the branch, but there is no record that he informed the mission office in Frankfurt of his choice.

Branch meetings were held in rented rooms at Elverdisserstrasse 13. The branch observed the traditional schedule of holding Sunday school at 10:00 a.m. and sacrament meeting at 7:00 p.m. Relief Society, Primary and Mutual meetings were all held on Tuesday. Choir practice took place at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday.

As of this writing, no eyewitness accounts by members of the Herford Branch can be located.

In Memoriam

The following members of the Herford Branch did not survive World War II:

Louisa Adolphine Hermine Borgstädt b. Herford, Westfalen, 2 Apr 1870; dau. of Hermann Borgstädt and Auguste Wistinghausen; bp. 21 Aug 1927; conf. 21 Aug 1927; m. 3 Oct 1890, Wilhelm Brinkmann; d. gout and rheumatism 12 Mar 1943 (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 1; CHL CR 275 8, no. 1)

Albert Heinrich Gustav Buchtmann b. Herford, Westfalen, 3 Nov 1922; son of Wilhelm Albert Georg Buchtmann and Paula Kleimann; bp. 27 Aug 1932; conf. 27 Aug 1932; d. pneumonia 21 Jun 1945; bur. Schierke, Wernigerode, Sachsen (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 4; IGI; www.volksbund.de)

Hans Karl Hermann Albert Buchtmann b. Herford, Westfalen, 18 Mar 1921; son of Wilhelm Albert Georg Buchtmann and Paula Kleimann; bp. 5 Aug 1929; conf. 5 Aug 1929; k. in battle Budarki, Caucasus, Russia, 4 Jan 1943 (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 3; IGI)

August Wilhelm Burkhardt b. Milse, Bielefeld, Westfalen, 4 Feb 1913; son of Karl Friedrich Burkhardt and Karoline Nebel; bp. 21 Jun 1936; conf. 28 Jun 1936; ord. deacon 7 Mar 1937; ord. teacher 19 Nov 1939; m. Herford, Westfalen, 18 Oct 1935, Maria Anna Luise Moll; lance corporal; d. in POW camp at Iwanowo, Russia, 6 Nov 1945 (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 54; www.volksbund.de; PRF)

Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Danielmeyer b. Schweicheln, Herford, Westfalen, 9 Apr 1918; son of Hermann Danielmeyer and Ida Rosa Graue; bp. 21 Aug 1927; conf. 21 Aug 1927; lance corporal; k. in battle Fela, Krolowez, Russia, 10 Sep or Nov 1941; bur. Kiev, Ukraine (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 10; www.volksbund.de; CHL microfilm 2458, form 42 FP, pt. 37, 346–47; IGI; AF; PRF)

Marie Florentine Friederike Echternkamp b. Herford, Westfalen, 17 or 18 Dec 1873; dau. of Friedrich Wilhelm Echternkamp and Juliane Friederike Brinkmann; bp. 8 Sep 1928; conf. 8 Sep 1928; m. Apr 1898, Friedrich Kassing; d. heart failure 30 Nov 1945 (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 16; IGI)

Maria Wilhelmine Anna Elisabeth Münstermann b. Windheim, Minden,Westfalen, 22 Jul 1864; dau. of Adolf Münstermann and Wilhelmine Rolf; bp. 14 May 1927; conf. 14 May 1927; m. 11 Jun 1910, Theodor Johann Schiersch; 2m. Bünde, Herford, Westfalen, 6 Oct 1882, Caspar Heinrich Kammann; d. 17 Jan 1945 (FHL microfilm 68796, no. 29; IGI)

Friederike Louise Nagel b. Herford, Westfalen, 30 or 31 May 1883; dau. of Ernst Heinrich Nagel and Anna Margarethe Ilsabein Berger; bp. 18 Apr 1937; conf. 18 Apr 1937; m.; d. 1 or 2 Jul (IGI; AF)

Notes

[1] West German Mission manuscript history, CHL MS 10045 2.

[2] Presiding Bishopric, “Financial, Statistical, and Historical Reports of Wards, Stakes, and Missions, 1884–1955,” 257, CHL CR 4 12.