The period of preparation (1906 - 1948)

By May 1949 when the newspapers carried reports about the "Miracle Doctor of Herford", Bruno Groening had already made a journey through life, which was rich with the fruits of experience, and paved with the stones of deprivation.

Childhood and youth

Bruno Groening was born on 30th May, 1906 in Danzig - Oliva, as the fourth of seven children of August and Margarethe Groening. His parents became aware early on that their son was out of the ordinary. As when the father came home complaining loudly and crashing about, suddenly loud voices came from the baby's room. When the stunned parents went to check on him, everything was still, and the little one was lying peacefully in his cot. The father though stopped crashing about and went instead very quietly about the house. This and similar occurrences led to a distancing of the parents and siblings from him. Indeed his father found the situation eerie. The more Bruno Groening grew up, the greater the estrangement of those around him became. Rejected by the hard heartedness of his surroundings, the young Bruno took refuge in the nature. He felt himself more drawn to animals, trees and bushes than to people. He often disappeared for hours in the nearby woods.

"Here I experienced god. In every bush, in every tree, in every animal, yes even in the stones. I could stand and take it all in for hours - time didn't seem to have a meaning - and it seemed to me as if my inner being extended itself into infinity."

He never participated in the wild rough-housing of the others of his age. As a consequence he was often the object of derision, and was beaten and punished for being "different".

With time the aspect of Bruno Groening's character that would eventually lead to him being called "The Miracle Doctor" became evident. In his presence animals and people would become well. Especially during the first world war he often visited the military hospitals, where he was a welcome guest. The wounded felt good in his presence, and many became healthy. Also, sick people would send for his mother, that she should come to them with little Bruno. In the family and among the acquaintances, the healing ability of the boy was willingly accepted.

Bruno Groening wrote in his biography: "Even as a small child, sick people near me were freed of their symptoms, and when they were worked up or rowing, children and grown-ups alike would become calm and peaceful as a result of a few words from me. Also I affirmed for myself as a child, that animals which normally are regarded as shy or even dangerous, were goodwilled and tame in relation to me. My relationship to my family home in contrast was strange and tense. I strove as early as possible towards complete independence, in order to free myself from this environment of 'being misunderstood' by my family."

Years of preparation

After going to school until the fifth grade, Bruno Groening started an apprenticeship in business. He had to give this up after two and a half years under pressure from his father, a building foreman, who wanted his son to learn a trade. He trained to become a joiner, but this too was never completed. The business turmoil of the period after the war prevented this. Three months before the end of his apprenticeship, the firm at which he was apprenticed closed due to lack of orders. In the ensuing period he lived by doing various jobs. For almost two years he ran his own business as building and furniture joiner, was employed as a factory and as a casual worker, and worked as a telegramm delivery man and lineman installing low tension circuits. Egon Arthur Schmidt wrote regarding this period:

"Various of his workmates told me that a noticeable feature was that whatever he turned his hand to, he was able to do, whether it was repairing clocks or radios, or whether he was working as a locksmith. Technical things suited him especially. Also he was never shy of taking on the roughest and physically most strenuous work. As a dockworker he pulled his weight. He made no secret of the fact that this belonged to the way which led him through the depths, in order to reach the heights. An old chinese proverb says: " He who has never been through the swamp, cannot become a holy one." There are enough reports from among his early compatriots, one of which reached me recently. In it the writer says quite simply and to the point, without reservation, that arising out of a year working with him, he became the best and most honourable friend conceivable, and holds fond memories of him."

He married at 21. However his wife had no understanding for him. She wanted to confine him to the narrow role of a respectable family man, and dismissed the healings as "Cranky". Both sons, Harald and Günter, born 1931 and 1939 respectively, died at the age of nine. Although countless people had already experienced healing through Bruno Groening, Gertrud Groening did not believe in the power of healing of her husband. She would not entrust him with the children, but rather the doctors. Traditional medicine was though, unable to help. Both boys died in hospital, Harald in 1939 in Danzig, Günter 1949 in Dillenburg. For Bruno Groening these were heavy blows of fate. Years later, when he spoke about his sons, tears would still flow.

The time between the two world wars were thus a preparation for his later work. He had to undergo such bitter experiences in order to appreciate and understand the feelings and the deep need of people in all situations in life.

In the second world war he was called up to the armed forces in 1943. Here conflicts arose. Because of his refusal to shoot at people he was threatened with a court martial. In the end however, he arrived at the front. He was wounded, became a Russian Prisoner of War and returned to West Germany in 1945 as a refugee.

Bruno Groenings behaviour during the war was dominated by his desire to help. Even at the front, he used every opportunity to help his comrades or the civilian population.

In a russian village he was able to arrange that the people, dying of starvation, got access to the army's food reserves. As prisoner he fought for better clothing, better food and better shelter for his fellow prisoners. Innumerable men suffering from oedema from starvation were help back to health by him. In the awfulness of the war he had killed no-one, but help countless numbers.

In December of 1945 he was freed, and built a new life for himself in Dillenburg in Hessen, where he brought his family. After his second son died, and his wife tried to forbid all his charitable activities, he separated from her. He felt himself compelled to let the healing power which was at his disposal flow to all people. He said: "I don't belong to individuals, I belong to mankind."

Early in 1949 his path led him to the Ruhr district. As a result of the reports of a few of the healed, increasing numbers of people became aware of Bruno Groening. He went from house to house, always to where he was needed, where the sick asked him for help. And so he worked in small circles, until he accepted the invitation in March 1949 of an engineer in Herford, to visit his son.