4th April 1880 Georg Johannes, Ritter von Trapp was born on the 4th April 1880 and died on the 30th May 1947. Baron von Trapp entered the K.u.K. (Imperial and Royal) Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1894 and went to the naval academy at Fiume (Rijeka). He was an Austro-Hungarian Navy officer during the First World War and received numerous decorations. In 1908, von Trapp joined the newly formed Submarine naval force (U-boot) and soon received command of the newly constructed SM U-6. In May 1918, he was given command of the submarine base in the Gulf of Kotor and at the end of the First World War the Baron faced the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its navy. The story of his family became known throughout the world after the musical ‘The Sound of Music’. Von Trapp’s first wife was Agatha Whitehead, the granddaughter of Robert Whitehead the inventor of the modern torpedo. Austria-Hungary showed interest for the new invention and Emperor Franz Joseph invited Whitehead to open a ship construction and torpedo factory in Fiume (Rijeka). The von Trapps had seven children: Rupert Agathe Maria Franziska Werner Hedwig Johanna Martina His wife, Agatha died of scarlet fever on the 3rd September 1922. The family moved to Aigen, a suburb of Salzburg in 1924. In 1926, Baron von Trapp hired Maria Augusta Kutschera from a nearby abbey (Nonnberg) as tutor for his children. Von Trapp married Maria on the 26th November 1927 and the couple had three children: Rosemarie Eleonore Johannes In 1935, von Trapp lost most of the familys fortune and the family faced a very bad financial situation. Maria began to make arrangements for the family to sing at various events as a way of earning a living. The German singer Lotte Lehmann encouraged the family to make concerts and the Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg invited them to perform in Vienna. Franz Wasner a Catholic priest became the groups musical director. After the ‘Anschluss’ (annexation) in 1938, Baron von Trapp, who was against the annexation of Austria, was offered a commission to the German Navy but decided to turn down the offer. The family decided to leave Austria and, less dramatic than in the famous film, the family were able to leave Austria for Italy by train and then sailed to the United States for their first concert tour. The family came back to Europe to tour Scandinavia in 1939 hoping to continue their concerts and also returned to Salzburg for a few months before returning to Sweden. The family went to Norway before returning to the United States in September 1939. After living in Pennsylvania the family moved to Stowe, Vermont, in 1941 and purchased a large farm which they made into the Trapp Family Lodge. In January 1947, the Trapp Family was informed about the hardship of the Austrian people after the war and founded ‘The Trapp Family Austrian Relief Fund’. Georg Johannes von Trapp died on the 30th May 1947.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 05:26:02 +0000