#6144, Herman Friedrich ECKSTEIN

Following his father's death in 1893 he moved with his mother to live, initially, at 47 Cleveland Square, Hyde Park.  In 1905 when his mother married Ralph Patteson Cobbold they moved to Compton House, Compton Bassett, Wiltshire.  Later they lived at 22 Mount Street, London.  

In order to go to the RMA Sandhurst, having been born in South Africa, he had to apply for naturalisation.  As a minor special consideration had to be given to his application.  Surities by five august sponsors, some of whom had known him since birth ensured that his request was granted and on 4th October 1907 his naturalisation papers were signed by Herbert John Gladstone, son of Prime Minister William Gladstone who was Secretary of State for Home Affairs at the time.

Ill health or suspected ill health plagued his military career in the 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) and despite his rise to the rank of Captain there is no evidence that he ever saw active service.  In 1917 he inherited lands in Kenya from his brother which is probably why he resigned his commission. In 1920 when in Nairobi he received a gratuity of £1100 and offered to join the reserve.

Hermann met Molly Harrison one evening when she was giving a recital in Cape Town and they were married by special licence in Johannesburg on 12th February 1923.  They immediately moved to England where their first child Mary Diana was born in Uckfield, Sussex.

By 1926 they had moved to their new (inherited) home in Maryland.  Here Eleanor Joanne (Joanie) 1927 and Hermann Anthony Bernard 1935 were born.  It was a run-down 1000 acre farm 6500 feet up in the Kenya highlands about 100 miles north of Nairobi.  The house was but a small bungalow but many visitors came, some for religious services as Hermann was a devout Christian and Mollie played the piano.

In 1931 Hermann was diagnosed with poliomyelitis which affected his right leg and meant that he was declare unfit for military service.  He engaged in experiments with silkworms and was keenly interested in mining.  Spurred on by his father's successes in Witswatersrand he became a director of Kenya Consolidated Goldfields Ltd which was registered in 1933 with a stake of £350,000, all of which he lost.

After his death Molly moved to the coastal town of Margate in KwaZulu-Natal where she lived until her death on 14th March 1974.