Person    | Male  Born 4/2/1906  Died 9/4/1945

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Categories: Execution, Religion

Countries: Germany

Lutheran pastor and theologian. 1933 - 35 he was a pastor at two German speaking London churches: German Evangelical Church - Sydenham and the German Reformed Church of St Paul's - Whitechapel.

Born Breslau, now in Poland. He studied in the USA, returned to Germany in 1931 and was ordained as a Lutheran pastor in Berlin. He openly opposed the rise of Hitler but was disappointed at the lack of support so he accepted a 2-year appointment in London.

He returned to Germany where the Nazis opposed his teachings so he ran underground seminaries. He made contact with the German resistance in 1938 but then briefly returned to the States. Feeling a duty to be in Germany he returned and again the Nazis restricted his activities.

He joined the Abwahr, a military intelligence group, officially pro-Nazi but also a centre of resistance and where the assassination of Hitler was planned. (Why the Nazis accepted him is a mystery to us.) In 1943 he was, with others, arrested and eventually executed by hanging.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Commemorated ati

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - E1

Unveiled by the Bishop of London.

Read More

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - SE23

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906 - 1945, theologian and pastor, lived here, 1933 - 1...

Read More

Forest Hill mural

{Panel 1:} A Brief Local History In medieval times this area was known as The...

Read More

Other Subjects

Sebastian Newdigate

Sebastian Newdigate

Monk at London Charterhouse.  Newdigate was a personal friend of Henry VIII. The king visited him twice in prison but Newdigate refused to change his views. Executed at Tyburn.

Person, Execution, Religion

1 memorial
Private Farquar Shaw

Private Farquar Shaw

The Highland regiment, the Black Watch, had been marched down from Scotland to Finchley where, hearing rumours that they were to be sent to fight in America, about 100 soldiers went absent without ...

Person, Armed Forces, Execution, Scotland

1 memorial
Violette Szabo, GC, CdeG

Violette Szabo, GC, CdeG

British secret agent in WW2. Born in Paris as Violette Bushell of a French mother and English father who met in WW1. With 4 brothers she was a bit of a tomboy. From Violette Szabo Museum "The Bushe...

Person, Espionage, Execution, France

War dead, WW2
6 memorials
William Hallywel

William Hallywel

Burnt at the stake in Bow (or possibly Stratford) for his Protestant beliefs.

Person, Execution, Religion

1 memorial
John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford

John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford

Born in Essex.  Caught supporting the wrong side when Edward IV assumed the throne, he was arrested and convicted of high treason which led to the loss of his head at Tower Hill.

Person, Execution, Politics & Administration

1 memorial