On 17 April 1936, the bells of St Laurentius church in the Black Forest rang out to guide a group of London schoolboys trapped in deep snow on a mountain hike gone wrong. Ninety years later, as the bells sounded again, British relatives and German villagers gathered to remember the night that brought their families together.
The Rescue and Nazi Exploitation
The people of Hofsgrund risked their lives with sledges and lanterns to rescue 27 boys and their teacher after two boys reached a farmhouse, alerting villagers to others stranded on the Schauinsland mountain. However, the Hitler Youth Organisation claimed credit, using the tragedy as a propaganda coup. Coffins of the five boys who died were flanked by Nazi salutes before being sent to London.
Correcting the Historical Record
Jenny Davies, daughter of survivor Douglas Mortifee, said it was time to honor the villagers and correct the record. Speaking in the church, she said, "Without your help we would not be here now." The Nazis' narrative, supported by appeasement advocates, also let teacher Kenneth Keast off the hook. He had ignored weather warnings and used a map and compass he could not handle.
Retracing the Route
Relatives and villagers retraced the boys' path, visiting a Nazi monument and a modest stone cross marking where 14-year-old Jack Eaton died. Nancy Whelan, Jack's niece, touched the cross, saying, "My family always wanted the truth to come out." A blank space on the cross shows where Nazi authorities forced Jack's father to remove words blaming the teacher.
Village Stories
Ewald Lorenz welcomed relatives at the Dobelhof farm where his grandparents saved hypothermic boys. Kurt Lorenz recalled his father, the village cobbler, saying, "The snow and wind was monstrous." Local journalist Marius Buhl noted that the village only realized the event's significance after researcher Bernd Hainmüller uncovered the real story.
Family Connections
Vanessa Barton, daughter of survivor Russell Petty, quoted her father: "The wind and snow together were felling small trees." Julia and Lucy Warner donated their grandfather's diary to the local museum. Stephen Hearn discovered his father's role in the rescue through a Guardian article, saying, "I realized what I'd stumbled across."
Survivors Norman Hearn and Stanley Few refused to fight Germans, insisting Germans had saved their lives. Several rescuers died in World War II, including two at Stalingrad.
A Promise Fulfilled
Mayor Hanspeter Rees promised to re-engrave Jack Eaton's father's inscription: "Their teacher failed them in the hour of trial." Nancy Whelan said, "After nine decades, I feel my family's attempts to get to the truth have finally paid off."
