Buxtehude, circa 1940. Photo courtesy of the City of Buxtehude Archives (Stadtarchiv Buxtehude)

“Uncle Jimmy” was my father’s uncle, whose full name was Johannes. He was born in 1895. I have not been able to uncover much of his life story, or find many records about him. His unconventional ways are only remembered in family lore. The one thing that I do know about him, I decided to commemorate in my song "Uncle Jimmy".

Uncle Jimmy was a businessman who enjoyed fishing in his spare time. Specifically, he fished for eels in the creek nearby his home, a small town called Buxtehude. These eels would later show up on his dinner table. I’ve been told that you catch eels by standing in the creek and catching them with your hands. 

During WW2, Uncle Jimmy would still go fishing when everyone else stayed home. He put on his metal soldier's helmet (he must of been a soldier in WW1) for security in case debris or shards would fall from the sky. Army planes often flew overhead, as Buxtehude was close to a military airbase. So, with the safety equipment consisting only of his helmet, he’d go fishing regardless of potential war-time hazards. He would stop by my father’s house and ask the boys in the household if they’d join him. They declined, as it seemed too dangerous to be outdoors in an open field during times of air raids, which could happen at any moment. 

But Uncle Jimmy didn’t seem to care. I imagine that he was determined to keep on living life his own way, and finding pleasure in his regular pastimes, no matter what was going on in the world around him. 

I left out the detail of the eels out of the song. I don’t find it appetizing. But the sentiment remains the same- it's the story of a fellow who didn’t live his life in fear, and kept some happiness alive in his life despite dire world circumstances. 

You can hear his story in my song “Uncle Jimmy” here, or anywhere you listen to music online. 

From what I’ve heard about him, my grandfather was a kind, conscientious and resourceful person. I imagine these traits were the result of hardship, as he lived through world circumstances which dictated that his life would not be easy. 

He was a soldier in the First World War. Having survived, he started to build up his life. He worked hard, married my grandmother, built a home in Hamburg, and had one child. Life briefly had a positive outlook, but, shortly afterwards, a second world war in Germany had broken out. 

Early in WW2, my grandfather’s motor car was confiscated by German government officials, who needed it for their troops. First they took only the tires. Later in the war, they were desperate for more vehicles and came back to forcefully take the whole car.  

My grandfather needed to find a way to hide items of value, which could be sold or used to barter with when food and supplies were scarce. Printed money could be useless- he had experienced hyperinflation of the Deutschmark after WW1. He still had cigar boxes filled with $1000 paper bills that were worthless. 

So, he built a wooden box. He filled it with anything in his household that contained silver and gold, such as candle holders, cutlery, cuff links. Then, he dug a hole in the backyard and buried the box in the ground. There, it stayed hidden over the course of the war, and was safe during the destructive air raid attacks on Hamburg. Their bombed house is seen in the photo. 

My grandfather kept a close eye on his hideout. Once, he found that the ground had been disturbed. Looters had found the box. They had taken a few things in haste, but, for the most part, the family “treasures” survived. 

You can download the album, and hear his story in my song “Dig A Hole” here.

Seated on the left in the photo is my great-grandmother Bertha. I only know her from a handful of photographs and the stories that were passed down. Here’s one: 

Bertha was born into a hard-working farming family. She had three sisters- Emma, Minna and Rosa. Upon coming of age, one of the girls was expected to take over the farm and its operations in the absence of a male heir. 

It was a prime piece of land- with livestock and rich soil, situated on a calm lake. 

But there was one big problem. 

The farmland was believed by the four sisters to be “cursed”. This is because lighting struck the barn and burnt it to the ground twice during their childhood. 

Bertha decided she didn’t want to inherit this cursed land. She needed a scheme to avoid it. The simplest way was to marry someone from another town and move away. 

Her scheme was successful.  At 22, she married Heinrich, an Innkeeper from a neighbouring village. The farm was eventually sold.  I’ve heard its a popular RV park these days.

Have a listen to the song (and the album) here:  https://dorisfolkens.bandcamp.com/album/doris-folkens

The album is available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Bandcamp, CDBaby and Google Play.

Following the album release,  I'll be posting the lyrics and stories behind the songs that inspired the album.