Benedictine brother (Landsturmmann) Theophil Wigbert Hattig

liverpool annie · Feb 4, 2009

I have been researching Franciscan Brothers and Priests for my Honour Roll ... thankfully they all came home ... but I came across this German Brother who didn't go home ..... and felt I had to acknowledge him ..... RIP Br. Wigbert (Theophil) Hattig

The grave of Benedictine brother (Landsturmmann) Theophil Wigbert Hattig, who had to serve in WWI and was killed near Vladslo. Born 22.11.1884 in Ettenheim (Baden), joined the Abbey of Gerleve (Westphalia), was called up by the Prussian Army and kia 32 years old +09.09.1917 in Flanders.
His grave-no. 3/1064.

Br. Wigbert (Theophil) Hattig, born 22.11.1884 at Ettenheim (Baden), took his vows on February 11th 1907, was killed in action - at the age of 32 - as Landsturmmann on September 9th 1917 in Flanders.
Br. Wigbert worked as a bookbinder at Beuron Archabbey and was sent to the new monastery at Gerleve in the summer of 1907. There he became the first and only bookbinder as well as the Abbot’s assistant and the infirmarian.

When he had to join the Prussian army together with Br. Otto on September 16th 1916, he carried "the burden of war confidently, which aggravated doubly his weak body and his soft soul". First the two monks had to go to Blomberg (Lippe) for their military training, and from there, on October 25th 1916, to the Western front in France. Here Br. Wigbert was soon detailed to serve the battalion’s doctor whom he had to accompany in due course in spring 1917 to Rumania. The doctor soon learned to appreciate the brother's experience, but all his efforts could not avert that Br. Wigbert was called back to Flanders in May. This move though had a positive side to it in that he could be back with Br. Otto.

On September 7th 1917 they both had to confront the fire and on September 9th 1917 Br. Wigbert was hit by a deadly shot. According to Br. Anton from Beuron Br. Wigbert said with determination that he certainly would not come back from the firing line. Br. Otto Hunzelmann, who was with Br. Wigbert in the same company, wrote to Gerleve Abbey about his death -

I do have to tell you the sad news that our dear Br. Wigbert was wounded by shell splinters last night around 1/2 10 o’clock and has died. On Heart-of-Jesus-Friday we were supposed to go to the trenches, therefore on Thursday night we went to a Dominican father at Ostende for confession and prayed the rosary, on Friday we attended Holy Mass and went to Communion. On Sunday night we were detailed at the beginning of dawn to take old material in the 3rd trench into another dugout when suddenly grenades were fired. We rushed into the dugouts. Br. Wigbert and anther soldier were still on their way. Then one shell struck very close. A corporal came into the dugout saying, someone was severely wounded, some men should carry him away. I volunteered to go, when we got to him, someone said that it was Hattig. Then I was very sad and silently prayed for him. He did not speak anymore. I helped to carry him into a First Aid dugout and there we put him on the floor. The doctor opened his clothes and I saw a big wound in his abdomen. I believe it was 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The shell-splinter seemed to me to have entered his back and gone right through. There was a lot of thick clotted blood on his clothes. I asked Br. Wigbert if he could recognize me, but he gave no more signs of life. Death had come meanwhile. We got a stretcher and carried Br. Wigbert through the shelling to a cart which should take him to the morgue at Ostende. May the dear God grant him everlasting peace and pay tribute to all his suffering as he already had to put up with so much.

Landsturmmann Hattig is registered in edition 1653 of October 3rd 1917, page 20972, in the Prussian List of Losses 953 as "killed in action". He was buried in the military cemetery at Vladslo, Belgium, block 3 grave 1064.
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http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/danielbrothers.htm

( The famous German artist Kathe Kollwitz created the widely known statues Trauerndes Elternpaar (Mourning parents) in memory of her son Peter who was killed in action and buried at Vladslo in 1914. 25,644 German soldiers, killed in WWI, are buried here )

liverpool annie · Feb 4, 2009

And here is his friend - Brother Otto RIP

Br. Otto (Leopold) Hunzelmann, born 21.02.1884 in Busenbach (Baden), entered Beuron Archabbey on May 1st 1903, became a novice on October 29th 1903, took his vows on October 15th 1906, and was killed in action, 34 years old, as Landsturmmann on March 30th 1918 in France.
On February 7th 1906 Br. Otto was sent from Beuron to the new monastery at Gerleve and worked as a tailor and porter. At the same time he was a keen and conscientious sacristan. For years he alone kept the church clean. In the Abbey church as well as in the vestry exemplary tidiness reigned.

When Br. Otto in September 1916 had to exchange his needle for a gun, his office as sacristan for the trade of war, the silence of the monastery for the noise of the barracks, this was for him a bitter change. Nonetheless he suffered it all in his faith and never complained about it in his letters or showed any unhappiness. His childlike and trusting nature endeared him to his superior officers as well as his comrades though he never could deny where he came from and soon everybody knew that he came from a monastery. He was especially clever to get leave to visit a church or a service. Only once he was granted leave to visit his community at home. At the beginning of his life as a soldier it was a great consolation to him to have Br. Wigbert at his side. They worked together in the trenches and when Br. Wigbert was fatally wounded by a shell, Br. Otto closed his eyes and took care of the recovery and the burial of his body. Now the same fate hit him. According to the medical records (Krankenbuch des Kriegslazaretts Abt.10) of the military hospital at Le Cateau he suffered the following wounds: shrapnel into his left and right leg, into his left upper arm, grenade-splinters into his right and left upper arm. He succumbed to his severe wounds on March 30th 1918 at 11.30 am. The first news of his being wounded was brought to Gerleve Abbey by a farmer’s son from the neighbourhood. All efforts to get more information were in vain, till a sergeant finally wrote on May 6th 1918 that Br. Otto had been severely wounded in his arms and legs and had died on April 13th in a field hospital. According to a letter from his company commander to his relatives, though, his death happened before March 30th, at Easter.

Landsturmmann Hunzelmann of the Infanterie-Regiment 114, 10th company, was buried in the military hospital at Le Cateau, France , Département Nord, block 1 grave 798. Here 5,522 German soldiers found their final resting place. Le Cateau cemetery was built by the German army after the battle of August 25th – 27th between Le Cateau and Solesmes during which course the British troops had to vacate the field. Later German soldiers were buried here who had died due to their wounds or illness or after accidents. The major part of them lost their lives in 1918 though. They died of their wounds in the military hospitals
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Adrian Roberts · Feb 4, 2009

Landsturmmann was one of several designations of a soldier, equivalent to Private, in the Reserves of the German Armies.

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Benedictine brother (Landsturmmann) Theophil Wigbert Hattig

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Benedictine brother (Landsturmmann) Theophil Wigbert Hattig

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liverpool annie New Member

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