From Ramsey Courier, Friday, 3rd May 1918

Tragedy at Douglas Camp - Interned Millionaire Preferred Death to Repatriation.

Poison carried ever since Internment.
Farewell Letters.

A painful incident has occurred at the Douglas Internment Camp. There is[sic] held in confinement there a wealthy German gentleman named Frederick Charles Brandauer, 56 years of age. He had lived in England nearly all his life, his residence being at Maidenhead, and his name was well known in connection with a noted make of pens. It had been decided to send him back to Germany, in pursuance of an arrangement arrived at with the enemy Government for the mutual repatriation of nationals over military age. Mr Brandauer had comfortable separate quarters of his own at the Camp, and had a valet to attend on him; On Sunday morning, this man found his master lying unconscious, and evidently under the influence of a narcotic poison and he died during the course of the day.

THE INQUEST.

Mr J. S. Gell, High Bailiff of Douglas, held an inquest on Monday.
Sergt. Major J. H. Fayle said : The dead body which the jury have just seen is that of Frederick Charles Brandauer, No 4851. He was of German nationality, and was arrested on the 24th January 1917, at "Houghton Grange." Maidenhead. He was transferred to the Douglas Camp from the Alexandra Palace on the 10th April. 1917. He was a bachelor. He has a sister living at Stuttgart, Wurtemberg. He was to he repatriated. He was to have gone to Germany about a week ago, but he was excused, and he was definitely to go t:his morning. I saw him yesterday morning about 7.20. Frank Raab, his valet, came to the guard room, and told me. I went to his room, and found him in bed. Dr. Von Osten was with him. He died about a quarter to three. He was not conscious all the time I saw him. On the dressing drawers were two letters; one addressed to Capt. Marshall, and the other for the Commandant. They were in envelopes, which were addressed and sealed with wax

The Coroner read portions of the letters which were as follows:-
27th April.
Sir The agonies before me in my death struggle will be nothing compared to what I shall have suffered since my internment and to what I shall have to go through if I submit to the repatriation order. I am stone deaf, and unable to walk unassisted, and the long journey would reduce me to such a condition that I should arrive absolutely helpless with nobody to look after me.... I am far better dead and at rest.... The tabloids of veronal I have carried in my pocket ever since my internment and no blame attaches to anyone. ... I wish my body taken to the nearest crematorium for cremation. Whatever funeral I may he given, let the clergyman confine himself to the Lord's Prayer, and no expense must be incurred for flowers I am not afraid of death. I have tried during the whole of my life to do as much good as my means permitted, and I believe I have no enemy in this world.

Then followed a paragraph, in which deceased referred to the kindness of the Commandant. The letter was signed "F C. Brandauer.

In the letter to Capt. Marshall, the deceased expressed his gratitude to the doctor, and added that the dose of veronal he intended taking was 150 grains.
Mr Burtonwood ( a juror) Was he a naturalised British subject ?
Witness: Yes; up to 1902. He then went to live in Germany. I don 't know when he returned.
Mr Burtonwood Would the fact of his going to Germany annul that ?
Witness: He let it lapse.
Frank Raab said: I am at present interned in the Camp, and I came here with Mr Brandauer, as his valet. I was hospital orderly at Alexandra Palace, and he asked me to come with him. He had a room to himself, and a second room, in which I slept. He was subject to attacks of giddiness. which came from ear trouble. His hearing was very bad, and sometimes he could not hear at all. He went for walks sometimes, but I had to accompany him, as he felt nervous. He required continual attention. I know he had a notice that he was to be repatriated. He had the first notice about three weeks ago. That upset him. He did not want to go. Last Tuesday, he had another notice. There was no arrangement for me to go with him. Since he received the second notice, he was very depressed Dr. Marshall told me to keep a strict watch on him. On Saturday evening. he went to bed about 5.30. I went out at 7.30 and returned at 8.30. He was then asleep. Deceased went to bed at 5.30 every night, for the past nine months as regular as clock work. I did not go to sleep until after 2 o'clock. In the morning I got up at the usual time, about 6.30 , but the deceased did not get up. I looked in and saw he was still sleeping, and I let him sleep until 7.10, when I got his bath ready. I then tried to waken him. I shook him but got no response. I then suspected that, something was wrong. and I went to the hospital for Dr. Von Osten He came at once, and he said. "He's taken some poison." I reported the matter at once to the guardroom. I never knew of his taking veronal, or that he carried any tablets in his pockets. I never found anything in his pockets when I looked after his clothes, but he was a very cautious man. and might have removed them before I got hem He was a bit excited for the past few days, but on Saturday evening he seemed as usual. He had his supper in bed about six o'clock, and afterwards I brought him his paper, and I left him reading it. I found the letters on the small table on Sunday morning. They were not there the night before. He was always writing letters, and he frequently sealed then, with wax. He received letters from a young lady in Munich, and from his sister and nephew.

By Dr. Marshall: It was arranged that I was to accompany him as far as Spalding near Boston, the repatriation station. I was to return to this camp. I was not to go to Germany with him.

Captain R. Marshall, R A M C said About 7.30 a.rn. on Sunday morning Sergt Major Fayle telephoned me to say that Mr Brandauer had taken poison and was unconscious. I came up at once, and found Dr. Von Osten with him. I judged from the tumbler by the beside and some of the powder spilt on the carpet that he had taken veronal. I washed the stomach out and injected the usual remedies for that poison He was deeply unconscious and insensible to every test, and he remained unconscious until he died about a quarter to three. I judge he must have taken about 100 grains . 30 grains is a big dose for even a chronic veronal taker. He probably took four times that amount. .. He had conversations with me as to his repatriation. He said plainly that he would not go. He said they might get him there in a box, but not otherwise. He threatened every day to commit suicide; but. I never thought he would poison himself, because I never thought he had the means. I may say that as far as I know there is no veronal in the camp. It is a drug which I never use in my private practice, and I do not allow it in the Camp. I have no knowledge of a particle of veronal being in the camp at the present moment I never use it in the hospital, and it is not allowed to pass the censors.

Col. Madoc said: The first order for him to go to Germany was stopped by the medical officer, but the second order, stating that he must go came from London, and he was informed of that by the medical officer, who told me about this question of suicide, and we then made a point of taking every precaution. That, was the point Raab spoke of. He was told to look after him.

Edwin Tyler said : I have been secretary to Mr. Brandauer for 24 years. Previous to being interned at Alexandra Palace he lived at Houghton Grange, Maidenhead. He was a bachelor , and he was a retired steel pen manufacturer. His age was 56 He had given up business altogether. He first came to England aboul 30 years ago, six years before I went to live with him. He was naturalised in 1895. About 1906 he returned to Munich. German. He remained there just about two years. He bought Houghton Grange just after he came back. His sister lives at Stuttgart She is married to General Von Schorer. I have been seeing him regularly. I came to the Island because of him. He has never at any time mentioned that he would take his life. I saw him on Saturday last. He was very depressed on account of the repatriation I advised him to go and at the conclusion of the war he could return to England, or I would rejoin him in Germany.

The Coronor said it was quite clear this man had committed suicide, there were various forms of bringing in that verdict, such as stating that he was of unsound mind at the time; but in this case it appeared to be a case of deliberate self-murder.

Mv Burtonwood said he was evidently quite sane when he wrote the letters. He seemed to have done it to avoid going back to Germany.
A verdict of "Suicide" was returned.

The body of Mr Brandauerr was removed to.England by Wednesday's steamer for crematation.

Sequel to Millionaire's Suicide

There was a tragic sequel on Wednesday to the millionaire's suicide at Douglas Internment Camp. Frederick Schramm (54), Linwood Road, Handsworth, was discovered in a bedroom on Tuesday shot through the head, a revolver by his side Schramm was German by birth, and had lived in England for 36 years, and was naturalised. He occupied the position of foreign correspondent for C. Brandauer and Co. of Birmingham and had been much upset by the suicide at Douglas of Mr Brandauer the millionaire pen manufacturer of London, to whom he was greatly attached and with whom he corresponded. Like Brandauer Schramm was very fond of England and appreciated his treatment here.

Dunbar in his account of time spent in Douglas Privilege Camp has a mention of "The English Steel-Pen-Nib King, who wanders around restlessly in the Camp. Frank Raab was transferred to Alexandra Palace (probably for for repatriation) on the 26th July .1918

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2019