Richard Trampenau

Richard Trampenau was born on 20 July 1910 in Wilhelmsburg – today a district of Hamburg. The area was strongly shaped by the harbour. His father died as a soldier in 1918 during the First World War. In 1924, Richard began an apprenticeship as a carpenter in a shipyard and became a member of a trade union. Later he joined first the KJVD (Communist Youth League of Germany) and from 1932 the KPD (Communist Party of Germany). Trampenau was conspicuous for his height of 1.95 meters and his red hair.

At that time there were many demonstrations and street fights. Richard Trampenau took part in them.

Immediately after the transfer of power to the National Socialists, on the late evening of 31 January 1933, members of the right-wing nationalist Stahlhelm League were shot at in Wilhelmsburg. Several witnesses confirmed that Richard Trampenau was not present at the incident. Nevertheless, the Special CourtEstablished in each higher regional court district from 21 March 1933, the special courts served to quickly punish regime-critical behaviour. In so-called summary proceedings, several thousand people of different backgrounds were sentenced to death. Hanover in the so-called “Wilhelmsburg riot trial” sentenced him to death at the age of 23 – he had allegedly been “identified” because of his height. Only one hour before the scheduled execution on 28 August 1933, the execution was suspended. The trial was reopened and the sentence commuted to life imprisonment. Richard Trampenau spent almost eleven years in Celle Prison, the first six of them in solitary confinement.

On 6 April 1945 Richard Trampenau, together with many other inmates, was transported from Celle Prison to Wolfenbüttel Prison. Many prisoners died during this transport; the exact number is unknown. Trampenau was severely injured.

On 11 April 1945, the U.S. Army liberated Wolfenbüttel Prison. Instead of waiting for his release papers, Richard Trampenau climbed over the prison wall with a ladder – his self-liberation.

Richard Trampenau was recognised by the British Military Government as a political prisoner and employed in Wilhelmsburg for denazification, but was soon replaced by SPD members. His long imprisonment had severely damaged his health. He nevertheless managed to pass the master craftsman’s examination as a carpenter, but did not find permanent employment.

Throughout his life Richard Trampenau sought appropriate compensation and recognition for the unjust sentence. After a retrial, the Hanover Regional Court lifted the sentence on 23 April 1946. However, the National Socialist judgment was not annulled until the end of 1948.

In 1948, Richard Trampenau applied for a disability pension and compensation for imprisonment. Medical reports confirmed health damage resulting from imprisonment. Both applications were approved.

He also applied to the State of Lower Saxony for compensation for wages lost during his imprisonment. His argument was that without the unjust sentence he would have been able to establish his own carpentry business. He did receive compensation for loss of earnings and reduced earning capacity during and after imprisonment. However, the State of Lower Saxony applied a significantly lower calculation basis and deducted food costs for his time in prison.

Richard Trampenau regarded the calculation as an injustice and went public. A legal dispute ensued. Despite support from SPD member of parliament Herbert Wehner, the case ended in 1957 before the Federal Court of Justice in a settlement. High legal costs consumed much of his earlier compensation.

Richard Trampenau then applied under the Federal Compensation ActThe law (Bundesentschädigungsgesetz), retroactively effective from October 1953, was the first nationwide compensation law for people who suffered expropriation, forced labour, deportation, and imprisonment during National Socialism. Eligible were persons who had their residence in the federal territory or the former German Reich by 31 December 1952 or earlier, as well as their surviving dependants. Foreign Nazi victims were thus largely excluded from the law. (BEG) for compensation for “damage to freedom” and “damage to property,” but failed. His application for compensation for “damage to professional advancement” was approved, but once again the authorities refused to recognise that without the conviction, he could have established his own business. His appeal was unsuccessful.

“Later I was often embittered that all the judges, public prosecutors, policemen, and prison officers could live quite well from their pensions, while we, their victims, had to fight long and sometimes in vain for compensation.”

Until his death in 1998, Richard Trampenau was active as a contemporary witness and also made his legal dispute with the Federal Republic of Germany a subject of discussion.

 “… that was (…) his favourite subject”

Bea Trampenau, Richard’s daughter, was born in 1962. After her parents’ divorce in 1974, she lived with her mother. Nevertheless, her life was strongly shaped by her father and the consequences of his imprisonment.

She works as a social worker and non-fiction author, was active in the Hamburg women’s and lesbian movement and since 2010 is managing director of the Antifaschistischen Erholungs- und Begegnungsstätte Heideruh, a holiday and conference centre near Hamburg. In 2016, she received the Paula Mielke Prize for Diversity and Civil Courage for her life’s work.