Lina Andrae

Christine Ottilie Lina Muller (known as Lina, I believe) lived for most of her life in Germany, but came to South West Africa (now Namibia) in 1949 to live with her daughter Auguste Lina Erica Buchholz (known as Erica) and her family in Tsumeb. She brought with her her granddaughter Christa, who had been living with her grandmother in the German state of Silesia from 1938 to approximately 1942-3. They had then fled from the invading Russian occupation to Hanover and they came from there to Namibia. These are the memories of Lina's granddaughter Renate Buchholz, who was aged 11 at the time her grandmother arrived: I remember that soon after my grandmother arrived to live in the family home in Tsumeb, the police came to the house to complete the immigration paperwork to allow her to stay in the country. I answered the door to the policeman and then ran to tell my grandmother to come to see him. She was at this stage of her life very frail and thin, and I remember her saying to me "They will just have to wait, I'm too old to hurry". Not many months later, in 1949, I was in bed in my room next door to 'Omas' room, which we called the Green Room because of its green walls, when I heard a strange noise coming from Oma's room. I felt frightened and called to my older sister Eva to investigate. She went to look and then said we must call the doctor as I think she is dying. The doctor came and confirmed Oma's death, probably due to a heart attack. My own mum, Erica, Oma's only daughter, was away from home on that day, having driven to Omaruru to pick up my father, Paul, who had been away on holiday. Eva's husband Roland drove out to meet them on their return journey to break the news of Oma's death. But he missed them and Eva had to break the news of her mother's death to my mother when my parents returned. My mother did not react with too much shock, as she said she had already felt her mother's passing earlier that day.