Walter Rauscher (July 9, 1919 – December 1974) was born in Ošelín, Czechoslovakia to Oskar and Clementine (Schnurmacher) Rauscher. The family owned a general store in town and lived in the quarters above it. Oskar died in June 1936, leaving the business to his wife. Walter’s uncle, Leo Schnurmacher, was the Honorary Consul of Czechoslovakia in Manila, Philippines. In 1938, Leo connected Walter, who had been studying in Pilsen, with Marcel Blum, the president of Levy & Blum Inc. The company offered Walter a position in Manila and financial assistance for relocating. On December 8, 1938, Walter secured a visa along with thirteen other Jewish refugees in the third wave of the Open Doors immigration initiative. He left for Manila from Marseille, France on February 3, 1939 aboard the Aramis SS ship. Later that year, Walter’s mother Clementine, sister Irma, her husband Leo Eisner, their daughter Hanna, and Leo’s brother, Artur Eisner, found refuge in Manila. Walter worked for Levy & Blum, Inc. and the family lived together in Leo Schnurmacher’s diplomatic residence. The family left the Philippines for the United States on the SS President Taft arriving in San Francisco in October 7, 1940. They were sponsored by the Americans, Henry and Camilla Beck, from Cicero, IL. Walter Rauscher settled in Chicago, married Elaine Kraus in 1947, and had two sons, Russell (1950-1995) and Eric (1953-).
Walter Rauscher left for Manila from Marseille, France on February 3, 1939 aboard the Aramis SS ship. Street scene in Marseille under the Porte d'Aix Arc de Triomphe. Street scenes. Pan of the Cathedrale Sainte-Marie-Majeure de Marseille. Man reads the newspaper on a balcony overlooking the harbor and shipyard. Large boats on the water. People walk on the deck of the Aramis SS boat. (3:57) A young child faces the camera. People stand on the deck watching. Man dressed in a suit walks toward the camera smiling. (4:41) Walter Rauscher, the cameraman, walks towards the camera. (5:22) CUs of Walter. French flag flies on the ship. (5:44) The SS Aramis in transit. The ports of call include Port Said (Egypt), Djibouti (horn of Africa), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Penang (Malaysia), Singapore, Saigon (Vietnam), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China), and Kobe (Japan). (6:17) Mansion and buildings along the shore, palm trees, possibly in Port Said, Egypt. (7:38) Cabanas, men and women at the top of a slide descending into the sea. (8:29) Market square in Djibouti, locals dressed in light-colored clothing and turbans. Three European tourists speak with a local boy. Wheelbarrows, men with Fez hats hold ropes tied around their waist and perform labor. European men pose for the camera beside a railway track. Large crowd of locals; camels. (10:17) Several well-dressed European passengers, including Walter at 10:25, gather by columns of a large building (possibly in Colombo, Sri Lanka or Penang, Malaysia). A female traveler smiles at the camera, holding the child seen earlier. Pan of men on a ship. (10:55) CUs, local Malaysian women on a boat. (11:24) Visiting Chinatown in Singapore, busy street scene with shops, signs in Chinese. Sri Mariamman Temple, a Hindu temple. Street scenes. Oxen with carts. Shops in Singapore and locals. Crossing a bridge with rickshaws. Freight unloaded from shipping containers. HAS “Ford” “Chevrolet” shipping containers. (14:02) In Saigon, Vietnam, busy streets, shops, pedestrians. Temple. Local children sit on the sidewalk, looking at the camera. A tourist with a camera. French sign on awning “Savon La Liberte” and “Savon Vietnam”. More signs: “Dai Quang.” Busy street in Saigon, wagons, bicycles, trucks. The European couple with a child walk towards the camera. Pan, locals. (17:54) Walter with two men, sightseeing. An ornately decorated wagon. Views looking out a port window of the seashore from the SS Aramis ship, windy, one man smokes and waves to the camera. (18:59) Hong Kong port with palm trees. Pan, HAS overview of the large city in the hills. Walter and a couple of European ship passengers walk along a path on a hill overlooking the city. Harbor. Busy street, Walter is given a lift in a rickshaw. Congested street scene in Hong Kong with crowds and signs on buildings in Chinese and English. Police officer directs traffic. Shops. (24:13) Walter approaches from across a street with shops, including “Dr. KS Shin / V.D. Clinic” and “Dispensing Chemist.” Street scenes, shop signs in Chinese and English, local pedestrians. Shore from boat. MS, passenger. (25:21) Walter plays a ring toss game and a boy rides a tricycle on board a new boat, presumably from Hong Kong to Manila. The boy’s father helps him down the stairs and he again plays the ring toss game. (27:35) In Manila, Philippines, pan of villa and gardens. Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila. Boat at sea, men fish on the rocks. Cars travel up and down the tree-lined street by the shoreline. Parked car with license plate 1-154. Film ends at 29:30.
Travel on the Aramis SS ship to Manila