Former home of Mabel Wulff, 84 Church Road, Newport
This house was once the home of Mabel Wulff, who had stood up to the Gestapo as she protected the Anglican church in Hamburg, Germany. The house is a private residence – please respect the occupants’ privacy.
Mabel was born in Lewis Street, Newport, in 1887 to seaman Frederick Phillips and his wife Alice. After leaving school, Mabel worked at Newport’s Mission to Seamen. There she met German sailor Max Wulff, and the couple married in 1909. You can read more about Max on our page about the restaurant he ran in Alexandra Road.
As he was German, Max was interned for the duration of the First World War, leaving Mabel to bring up their children, Edward and Leonard. Later the family settled in Hamburg, and Mabel became caretaker of the city’s Anglican church (“English Church”), which was also home to a British Legion branch. The couple lived in a flat at the top. The Neoclassical building was placed on Germany’s official heritage list in 1941.
At the start of the Second World War, Mabel put valuable church fittings into storage for protection against air raids. She also opened a wooden step at the bottom of the altar and pushed the British Legion flag to the back of the recess. Mabel was allowed to remain in post during the war but worship was banned in the church. Various goods, including straw, were stored inside. The Gestapo harassed Max and Mabel and were eager to get hold of the Legion flag, but Mabel successfully feigned ignorance.
RAF incendiary bombs hit the church in 1943 but each time Mabel, at great personal risk, extinguished fires which could have destroyed the building – which contained flammable straw. The air raids left thousands of Hamburg residents homeless. Mabel arranged for at least 60 to live in the church, until the Gestapo turfed them out.
At the end of the war, Mabel hung a Union Jack from a window of her flat. She apologised that she didn’t have any tea to offer some passing British soldiers, who happened to belong to the South Wales Borderers. Their sergeant, from Brecon, was surprised to hear a Welsh accent in Hamburg and they all had a cuppa, made with army tea!
The lower photo shows Mabel in the church during its post-war restoration. She received the British Empire Medal in 1956 for her meritorious wartime service. After 40 years as the church’s caretaker, she retired to Newport, having recently lost Max and Edward. She died in 1978.
With thanks to Eddie Wulff (Max and Mabel’s grandson) and to Madeleine Resühr of Hamburg. Her biography of Mabel was published in 2019, ISBN 978-3-00-064187-9.
Postcode: NP19 7EH View Location Map