Julia Wilhelmine Thiel

1894 – 1967

Julia Thiel was born in Nylstroom and was 8 years old when the family moved back to Pretoria and 13 when the family arrived in South West Africa. About 3 years later, when Julia was 16, she was involved in a terrible accident. She was making a fire for her sister Cecilie’s birthday when her dress caught fire. She was so frightened that she ran around the house before she could be helped and the fire extinguished. Her wounds were so severe that she nearly died and she suffered throughout her life from the effects of the accident.

In Windhoek, Julia met her future husband, Friedrich Riedel, who was born in Cape Town. They became engaged and in 1914, during the First World War, he joined the German Schutztruppe and was involved in action against the South African Forces in South West Africa.  He was injured when his horse fell on him and returned to Windhoek. Shortly after that he married Julia and they lived in the vicinity of the Aussspannplatz near Julia’s Siemssen grandparents.

Friedrich Riedel worked as a bricklayer and their eldest son, Karl Hermann, was born in 1916. When Julia’s parents started farming in 1922, the Riedels bought the farm Trevenna near her parent’s farm, Arcadia and the farm, Waldhöhe, belonging to her sister, Maria Schimming. These farms were offered at very reasonable prices to members of the Schutztruppe for their services during the First World War. Friedrich Riedel was severely hurt when he jumped off the oxwagon on his way to Windhoek and the wheel ran over him, breaking several ribs. He spent 2 months in hospital in Windhoek and could not continue farming after that so he had to sell the farm Trevenna.

In 1923 the Riedel family returned to Windhoek and lived in Klein Windhoek where he continued as a builder, employing helpers as bricklayers. In 1924 the family spent a short period at Osona near Okahandja where Friedrich farmed with vegetables. His eldest son, Karl, attended school here for the first time.

The family then moved to the farm Finkenstein, 25 kilometres from Windhoek on the road to Gobabis, where Friedrich was farm manager for the owner, Mr. Finke. After 3 years at Finkestein Julia and Friedrich returned to Windhoek where he worked for the Public Works Department and they stayed in Klein Windhoek. All their children completed their school training here.

During the Second World War Julia and her husband moved to Gobabis where he started a building concern. Two of their sons were interned throughout the war in the internment camp for Germans in Koffiefontein, South Africa.

After the war their two youngest sons, Reinhold and Siegfried, helped their father as bricklayers. In 1947 the eldest son, Karl, also moved to Gobabis and started a garage in 1948. In 1949 Julia and Friedrich went farming again on Arcadia Suid while the children continued working in Gobabis. In 1954 they sold Arcadia Suid and bought a farm near Summerdown. Friedrich fell and had to move to Gobabis where he died in 1967. Julia stayed for a while with her granddaughter, Uschi Steinbruck, and also with her youngest child Elfriede Eimbeck on the farm of the Eimbecks near Gobabis. Julia passed away in 1967 at the age of 84 and was buried in Windhoek.