In May 1931 the first Commemoration was held to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Foundation of Wesley House.
The distinguished guest on that occasion was Herr Heinrich Hermelink, Professor of Church History in the University of Marburg, who was entertained for the week-end by Dr & Mrs Flew. On Saturday, May 9th, a dinner was given in his honour by Wesley House to members of the University. The Divinity Faculty was represented by Dr Navine, Professors Kennett, Bethune-Baker, Creed and Burkitt. The historians present were Dr Coulton and Dr Glover.
The Commemoration was celebrated in the afternoon of Monday May 11th when Herr Hermelink addressed representatives of the University and friends of Wesley House in the Lecture Room on "Some recent tendencies in German Theology" and tea was served later.
On Sundayh May 10th Dr Flew conducted the morning service in Wesley Church and Herr Hermelink preached. At the end of his sermon he said that his Grandfather, father and brother had been missionaries in Bangalore (Madras). In the Great War he himself had been wounded by a British bullet fired by an Indian soldier. As the bullet was never extracted he felt that he always carried a piece of England next to his heart. It was the first time that a German had preached in Cambridge since the Great War and a large congregation listened with deep attention to the Professor.
Herr Hermelink lunched with Mr BL Manning in Jesus College on Sunday and dined in Corpus Christi College. He dined on Monday in Wesley House with the men and was greatly impressed by their singing "For he's a jolly good fellow" which was repeated when he left on Tuesday morning.
In 1933 Norman Goldhawk went to Marburg as Finch Scholar and became greatly attached to Herr Hermelink with whom he visited Italy and saw Rome. His students were greatly attached to himi but through the growing ill-will of the authorities he was eventually dismissed from his Professorship.
Dr Newton Flew, Herr Heinrich Hermelink, Dr Maldywn Hughes