Clara Bauerle is Finally Laid to Rest
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Clara Bauerle |
Clara did not die stuffed into a Wych Elm in England. She was not Bella in the Wych Elm. She was a German actress and singer who passed away in a Berlin hospital on December 16, 1942.
A while ago, I ordered the birth registration for Clara, from the Standesamt in Ulm. That record gave her death registration number in Berlin.
With that in hand, I wrote to the relevant Standesamt in Berlin and, after a lengthy wait, received her death registration in the mail last week. Translation follows below...
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Death Registration of Clara Bauerle |
The actress Hedwig Klara Bauerle, Protestant, living in Berlin, Bleibtreustrasse 32, did, on 16 December 1942 at 12:15 in Berlin-Oberschoneweide, Konigin-Elisabeth-Hospital, die.
The deceased was born on 27 August 1905 in Ulm (Standesamt Ulm/Donau Nr.../...).
Father - Fruitseller Adolf Bauerle, deceased, last living in Ulm.
Mother - Dorothea Barbara Bauerle, born Schaufele, deceased, last living in Ulm.
The deceased was not married.
Registered upon written notification of the Amtsgericts Berlin on 19 December 1942.
...
Cause of Death - lung infection (pneumonia?), Veronal poisoning.
A
few things are of note. The first obviously being that Clara Bauerle,
actress and singer, did not die in England, a sad casualty of Abwehr
incompetence. Clara passed away in a Berlin hospital, a victim of
Veronal poisoning.
Veronal was a barbital known for its
hypnotic properties. In the early half of the 20th Century, Veronal was
a popular sleeping aid as it could be acquired without a doctor's
prescription. Unfortunately, prolonged use of the drug could cause the
user to develop a tolerance for it, requiring larger and larger doses in
order to achieve the same effects. This could be dangerous. There were many reports in German
and British medical literature of severe poisoning and fatalities
associated with Veronal. One could, naturally, wonder if perhaps Clara
passed away through suicide, consuming a large dose of Veronal. The
truth will likely never be known. Her death would not, however, have
been a pretty one. An account from an American doctor in 1914 outlines
the progression of Veronal poisoning:
While her death registration notes that Clara's place of residence was Bleibtreustrasse 32, a few blocks from the home of Josef Jakobs' parents, she actually passed away in the southeast corner of Berlin (see my Google Maps). Why did she die so far from home? That mystery that will likely remain unsolved. The Königin Elisabeth Hospital was moved to another location after the war and the former site on Treskowallee only has a few sad ruins as a memorial to all those who passed through its doors in search of hope and healing.
I have written many blogs on Clara Bauerle, links below. A summary of her life is also available on this blog page.
Blogs arranged in order of oldest to most recent.
- Josef Jakobs & Clara Bauerle
- Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?
- The Truth about Clara Bauerle
- BBC Radio 4 - Punt PI - Who put Bella in the Wych Elm?
- Express & Star Newspaper - Punt PI Investigates Midlands Riddle
- Follow-up to Clara Bauerle & Bella in the Wych Elm
- BBC - Unsolved English Murder Mysteries
- Update on the Elusive Clara Bauerle and Bella in the Wych Elm
- Clara Bauerle's Music
- Another Clue in Tracing the Enigmatic Clara Bauerle
- False Alarm with Clara Bauerle
- Errors Abound around Josef Jakobs
- Clara Bauerle - How Speculation can quickly turn to Fact
- Break in the Hunt for Clara Bauerle
- Clara Bauerle is Finally Laid to Rest (this blog post)
Comments
Also Veronal was commonly used by Jews as a means of suicide in their dire circumstances