The Neath Anti‑German Riots of 1915: The Destruction of the Kaltenbach Businesses on Green Street

Green Street, Neath

The disturbances that swept through Neath on 15 May 1915 remain among the most serious outbreaks of wartime unrest recorded in Wales. They erupted just over a week after the sinking of the Lusitania on 7 May 1915, an event that claimed nearly 1,200 lives and ignited fierce anti‑German sentiment across Britain. In Neath, this anger fixed upon two long‑established families of jewellers and watchmakers whose businesses had been part of Green Street’s commercial life for decades: the Kaltenbachs.

Samuel Kaltenbach and S. Kaltenbach Ltd.

The first of the two firms was established by Samuel Kaltenbach, a German‑born craftsman who arrived in Britain in 1859. Trained in the continental tradition of jewellery and watchmaking, Samuel settled in Neath, married locally, raised a British family, and became a naturalised British citizen in 1891.

His business, S. Kaltenbach Ltd., soon became a respected fixture of Green Street. Known for precision repairs, imported timepieces, and dependable service, the shop served generations of Neath customers. Samuel died before the First World War, leaving the business in the hands of his widow, Cecelia Kaltenbach, who continued trading successfully into the early twentieth century.

Kaltenbach Brothers Ltd.: A Second Family Enterprise

A short distance along Green Street stood a second Kaltenbach enterprise: Kaltenbach Brothers Ltd. Founded in 1895, the firm was established by three siblings of German birth — Augustin, Richard, and Joseph Kaltenbach — who brought their continental training in jewellery and watchmaking to Neath. Their sister Marie Kaltenbach also played an active role in the running of the business, helping to shape its reputation for skilled craftsmanship.

Although this branch of the family shared the same surname and professional tradition as the founders of S. Kaltenbach Ltd., the two households were not closely related. The similarity of name and trade often led to confusion, but in reality they were distinct enterprises operating independently of one another.

Kaltenbach Brothers Ltd. offered a wide range of services, including jewellery sales, watch repairs, imported continental timepieces, and bespoke work. By the early twentieth century, the shop had become a well‑established and trusted part of Neath’s commercial landscape, serving a loyal local clientele and contributing to the town’s growing retail sector.

Both Kaltenbach families were fully integrated into Neath society. They married British spouses, raised British‑born children, and ran successful businesses that met the everyday needs of the community. Their long-standing presence in the town reflected a deep level of social and economic integration that had developed over decades.

The Riot of 15 May 1915

sinking of the Lusitania

The sinking of the Lusitania transformed public feeling almost overnight. Suspicion hardened into hostility; patriotism blurred into vengeance. On 15 May 1915, a crowd gathered outside the Kaltenbach premises on Green Street. What began as shouting escalated into violence.

Windows were smashed. Stock was looted. Both shops were wrecked in a frenzy of destruction.

Police reinforcements eventually restored order, but the damage was severe. The riot demonstrated how wartime fear and nationalism could override decades of neighbourly familiarity. The Kaltenbachs — naturalised citizens, taxpayers, employers — were attacked not for anything they had done, but for where they had been born.

Compensation and Closure

The aftermath was devastating. Cecelia Kaltenbach received £160 in compensation — equivalent to roughly £16,000–£17,500 today — for the destruction of S. Kaltenbach Ltd. Richard Kaltenbach of Kaltenbach Brothers Ltd. received £225, which in modern terms amounts to approximately £22,500–£25,000.

Yet neither business reopened. Both premises were sold, and advertisements stressed their new British ownership, reflecting the fevered wartime climate and the commercial pressure to distance oneself from anything perceived as German.

Legacy in Neath

Although the riots ended the Kaltenbach shops on Green Street, the families themselves remained part of Neath’s story. Richard stayed in the town with his British family, and his son Wilfrid Kaltenbach later co‑founded Kaltenbach & Roberts, a jewellers that traded successfully until 1975, preserving the family’s craft tradition long after the riots.

Samuel’s legacy — decades of craftsmanship, citizenship, and community standing — endured through his descendants and through the memory of the businesses he built.

A Lasting Reminder

The fate of the Kaltenbachs illustrates how swiftly fear can turn to prejudice, and how easily loyal, long‑settled families can become targets in moments of national crisis. Their story endures as a cautionary chapter in Neath’s First World War history — a reminder of the human cost of wartime hysteria and the fragility of acceptance in turbulent times.