Walter Bergman

Who was Walter Bergman?

Walter Bergman was a South African numismatist.

In 1933, his family fled Nazi Germany to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In 1936, Bergmann travelled to South Africa.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Bergmann sought to join the South African army, but as he felt his name was too German-sounding, he removed the second "n" from his name, adopting the Dutch variation of the surname.

During World War II, Bergman served with the South African forces, attached to the British 8th Army – rising to the rank of Sergeant Major – in North Africa, Italy and Palestine, seeing action in all these theatres, notably at El Alamein, Tobruk and Monte Cassino.

After the war, Bergman earned a living from what were ostensibly his hobbies, namely ice skating and photography. Several of his pupils became prominent South African photographers, and he taught ice skating at the Empire Exhibition.