Erdmute Greis-Behrendt

Erdmute’s great contribution will be long held in the archives, I hope. She was one of our stars when we made the video “When the Wall came down”. Her joy in re-enacting for the camera how she rushed up the stairs to send her first “snap” from the press conference announcing the end of the Wall, was a delight. “Imagine, I had never sent a snap before,” she told us of her excitement and nervousness.

And it was also a major scoop to mark her dedication! Annette told us that snap was the first news the West German government received, as well as a first round the world. As the video remarked “We were first with the Wall going up and first with it going down,” thanks to her as well as the expat correspondents. The next step was to tell her family, who left for the wall. But she added that even when telling them she could hardly believe it and she stayed at her post. Her role in the video encapsulated not only what was best of Reuter staff in these circumstances but the reaction of so many of the East Germans at regaining their freedom of movement. ■