Obituary

Some of you might remember an elderly Lab Assistant at the school in the late 50s and the 60s.  His name was Dr. Marwede, although he  might have been known under a nickname.   For those, who don't remember him or only saw him in passing, after reading this obituary you will only envy those who can claim to have known a really remarkable man.  We have Tony Marshall to thank for this copy of his obituary.

He was born in the district of Steiglitz, Berlin, Germany.  His father died when he was quite young and he was brought up by his grandmother.  Though not a particularly happy arrangement his education did not suffer.  He excelled in physics, chemistry, mathematics and languages; achieving matriculation distinctions at Berlin University.  In 1916 he volunteered for the German Army & Air Force and qualified as a fighter pilot.  He was decorated with the Iron Cross and service medals for 12 victories in the air.  Later he was himself shot down and badly injured, becoming a prisoner-of-war under the Americans.  He was repatriated during 1919.  Thereafter, until 1925 he studied at Berlin University, achieving a doctorate and Ph.D. for research in electron emission and dielectric constants of crystals along different optical axis.  During this period he was also technical assistant to Professors von Laue and Albert Einstein for experimental work.

After leaving university he became director of several companies specialising in optical and electrical equipment, also setting up his own company to exploit projection apparatus for which he was granted patents both in France and England.  This and other activities brought him into conflict with the Nazi regime and it became necessary for him to leave Germany in 1934 and go to Paris where his company had a branch office.  He was able to carry on his business from there.   In 1937 he qualified as a gliding instructor under the French Ministry for Aeronautics.  In 1939 at the outbreak of the second world war, being an alien, he was listed for internment but managed to get to Marseilles, where in 1940, he volunteered for the French Foreign Legion and because of his expertise he was made chief electrical engineer in Societe Fougerolles in Rabat, Morocco.  In  1943 the British Army in North Africa recruited him and he accepted the job of vehicle and plant engineer in the REME and served in this regiment throughout the Italian campaign.

He was finally demobbed in England when the war ended in 1945.  This enabled him to resurrect his business interests and he chose to become a naturalised Englishman.  After retiring, his interests in laboratory work took him to a local grammar school until well after his 80th birthday.  His last years were spent in Southwick, England with a long-standing friend.  He was the last surviving Luftwaffe fighter pilot from the first World War.