The Biggest Kid on the Mat
Noticeably, the “biggest kid” on the Trafford wrestling team in 1937 was Hans Peyinghaus (Trafford High Class of 1939). He is easy to spot in the back row of this team photo. Hans was born on Christmas Eve in 1920 in Rummenohl, Germany, a town known for its ironworking.
During World War I, before his birth, the town was primarily producing landmines, cartridges, and charges for grenades. Han’s father Karl was a German soldier who served in the First World War.
Germany’s defeat following the war equated to a devasting downturn in their economy. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles meant Germany had to take responsibility for the war, and their new governmental structure and massive reparations meant that the citizens of the country were left to deal with the severe blow. Where could one go if looking for hope?
Karl Peyinghaus took his wife Johanna and their two sons, Werner and Hans to that land of hope, arriving at Ellis Island on October 10, 1927. The family would dodge the rise of Germany’s Nazi party in 1933, which brought another surge of immigration to the United States as Germans and other Europeans fled the coming storm. Hans would have likely been required to join the German Army, a fate for most of the men his age who remained in the country.
In February 1944, Han Peyinghaus entered military service for the United States Navy, but instead of being sent to fight against his homeland, he was sent to the Pacific Theatre, serving overseas from May 1944 to January 1946. His WWII draft card records his height as 6'3" height and weight as 205 lbs. After the war, he worked as an engineer in the steel mill. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 84 and is buried in Penn Lincoln Memorial Park, North Huntingdon, PA.
