A photo of the Berking children , Lissy and Rudi , ( at back ) taken with a relative in Germany during the war , in about 1916 . Their upkeep at school was paid for out of their father ’ s government salary which appears to have continued to be paid in Germany . Mr Berking ’ s salary also supported his mother in Hanover .
Sending children to Germany for education and work was popular with German fathers in Samoa . Caroline and Rudolf Berking paid a terrible price for their understandable desire for a better education for their offspring in distant Europe . In September 1918 , Elisabeth died of pneumonia in Hanover aged 16 . Wartime internment for Rudolf meant that the parents had to cope with their grief apart . In 1926 , another tragic blow – son Rudolf fell ill and died while attending veterinary school in Berlin .
Klaus Berking Collection
| To Walk Under Palm Trees - The Germans in Samoa : Snapshots from Albums | Tony Brunt
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