Fritz Jacques FAHRENHOLZ

Born on June 7, 1886, in Graudenz, Germany. Naturalized as Belgian and married to Aline Van Duerm.

He was a musical clown (fairground entertainer) at the Fahrenholz Circus.

Fritz enlisted in 1906. His rank was Corporal, 3rd Line Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 7th Company. Serial number: 103/53354. He was killed during the Battle of Boutersem at the Oude Vijvers on August 19, 1914, and buried in the Belgian military cemetery in Veltem-Beisem.

Fahrenholz Family

In 1865, Edouard Fahrenholz was born in Linden (Hannover). He married Augusta Schmidt, whose mother was a companion to a noble family. The family travelled throughout Germany.  Their son, Fritz, was born in Graudenz in 1886, and Leonard was born in Rosenberg in 1889. Around 1890, they arrived in Belgium and settled in Liège. They had several more children, 11 in total, including daughters Selma (born 1894) and Louise (born 1898).

To support themselves, his father and the eldest children performed in inns and monasteries. His wife, Augusta, who had a different upbringing, did not go. Later, they had a small arena and played outdoors.  At the beginning of the last century, the family moved to America, where Edouard had secured a contract with Barnum & Bailey. He performed there as an Icarian with his daughter Louise, who thus made her debut as a live object at the age of three. Louise later described it this way: "We travelled through several states in the carriage. I played stiff plank. Father lay backward in the arena, lifted me onto the soles of my feet, and spun me around at a rapid pace. My brother Fritz was a musical clown there." Selma, the eldest daughter, was a famous wire walker and specialist in horse dressage.

When the family returned to Belgium around 1905, Circus Fahrenholz was founded. Later, children and grandchildren continued the circus tradition with circuses such as Selma and Espagnol.  Edouard's last grandson and Selma's son, Bill Kartoum (Leo Verswijvel), of Magic Circus, the oldest circus director in Europe, died on November 5, 2016, at the age of 88.