Leoke family
Virve (Wirwe) Helje Leoke
1919–1945 · Research ID L-019
In the family history: How the two families connect · Elmar Oswald, Hilda and their daughters · Leaving Estonia, 1944 · Germany, 1944–1948 · Places connected with the families · Further research
Vital facts
| Born | 7 Dec 1919, about 11:45 p.m., Tallinn |
|---|---|
| Baptised | 12 Jan 1920, at home, by Pastor H. Kubu, Tallinn Jaani (St John's) III congregation; parents "Elmar Osvald Leoke; Hilda Vilhelmine, sünd. Meomutli", note "Wiljandi Pauluse-st"; sponsors Anna Kalam, Emilie Kiik, Ida Laamann, Martin Simon, Johan Vinnal, Jüri Keerig (TLA.1358.2.59 img 23, p. 20, births 1920 No. 4; SL-107). The household book says 18 Jan |
| Died | 26 Feb 1945, Mörlbach, Bavaria, killed in an Allied air attack, very probably the strafing of a passenger train; single |
| Buried | Windsheim cemetery, old section, grave 110a |
| Occupation | Bookkeeper |
Family
ParentsElmar Oswald Leoke 1896–1972, Hilda Wilhelmine Leoke, née Meomüttel 1896–1988
Brothers and sistersPilvi Laine Koik, née Leoke b. 1921
See Virve Helje Leoke in the family tree →
Life events
| Date | Event | Place | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Feb 1939 | First Tallinn identity card issued; basis: Viljandi town family register vol. 7 p. 16 | Tallinn | TLA.186.1.881 image 46 (SL-41) |
| 1944–1945 | Lived with parents, Äußere Ringstraße 568½, Windsheim | Windsheim | L301 |
| 22 Sep 1944 | Entered Germany via Gotenhafen | Gotenhafen | L204 |
| 26 Feb 1945 | Killed in air attack, aged 25. Family memory (confirmed to the compiler, Oct 2026): killed when a train was attacked. Very probably the strafing by low-flying aircraft of a crowded passenger train at Mörlbach that day, described in local accounts | Mörlbach | L301–L305; L306, L307; family |
| 12 Oct 1945 | Declared missing in Estonia from 22 Sep 1944 (unaware of her death) | Tallinn | Eesti NSV Teataja Lisa 1945 no. 2 (11 Dec 1945), p. 9, DIGAR 232025 |
| 24 Jan 1951 | Death certificate issued (registry no. 6/1945) | Mörlbach | L301 |
Dates before 1918 are Old Style (Julian) unless marked; see conventions.
Photographs and illustrations
Records
Scans of the records cited above. Select one to see it full size.
Archive pages
Further pages in the National Archives of Estonia’s Saaga viewer. Saaga asks for a free sign-in.
- Tallinn Jaani III births 1918–1926, image 23 (p. 20) · TLA.1358.2.59
Open questions
- LC-01Virve's birth and baptism, Tallinn 1919–20Answered
- LC-05Pilvi's and Virve's schooling and workOpen
- LD-03Virve's death and grave, 1945Partly answered
Research notes
- Confidence: Good.
- The train attack: Königshofen 1945 (ed. M. Weber, 2020; L306, extracts in L307) has three accounts of low-flying aircraft machine-gunning a passenger train near Mörlbach on 26 Feb 1945, for almost half an hour. The train was crowded with soldiers, Soviet prisoners of war and civilians; there were many dead and wounded. Pastor Hermann Bauernfeind of Königshofen was killed. None of the accounts names Virve or any Estonian, but the date and place match her death certificate, and the family remembers that she was killed in an attack on a train. Treat as very probable, not proven.
- Lead: Pastor Dannhaimer, Lutheran pastor at Mörlbach in 1945, described the scene; the Mörlbach burial register may list the dead (Archion).