136 Blinco Grove, Cambridge

History of 136 Blinco Grove

1939

Auguste M Scherchen, b 1898, private means

Karl H Scherchen, b 1920, seeking work not previously in employment

John Andrew, b 1922, student

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In the Public Notices section of the Cambridge Daily News 12/9/1939 it is reported that Auguste Maria Scherchen of 136 Blinco Grove is applying for Naturalization.

The National Archives holds records about Auguste and her husband Hermann Scherchen. They were of German origin and by 1939 divorced. Auguste was also known as Auguste Jansen and her brother-in-law was Alexander Rado, a soviet spy.

The Wikipedia article on Herman Scherchen describes him as a German conductor (1891-1966). He left Germany in 1933 in protest at the Nazi regime and moved to Switzerland where he played a major role in the musical life of Winterthur until his death.

His first wife – who was also his third wife – was Auguste Marie (Gustl) Jansen whom he married in 1921. He married the actress Gerda Muller 1927-1928 and then returned to Gustl Jansen. In 1936 he married the Chinese composer Ziao Shuxian in Peking.

Auguste Maria’s sister, Helen Jansen, was married to the Hungarian cartographer Alexander Rado, who, under the alias Dora, was a member of the European-wide organisation known as the “Rote Kapelle.”