Career
She was the private secretary of Ludwig Roselius from 1935 to 1943 who created the Böttcherstraße, Café HAG and financed Focke-Wulf. Barbara matriculated in Kassel in 1928 and began studying mathematics, physics and philosophy at Freiburg University and then Kiel where she took her state examinations in 1934/35. Barbara became his companion, carer, confidante and collaborator.
On 18/9/1936 during a meeting in Berlin, the RLM recommended reconstruction of Focke-Wulf with 50% going to the Reich (state) and 50% to a large electronics concern.
A short time later the Roselius concern became majority shareholder with 46% and Lorenz (International Telephone And Telegraph) secured 27.8%. The aircraft company was reconstituted as Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH. Barbara was instrumental in assisting with this and the Böttcherstrasse was reclassified as "degenerate art".
After Doctor Roselius died in May 1943 she lectured in English at the Humboldt Hochschule in Berlin until the premises were demolished during a bombing raid. Shortly after the war she acted as an interpreter for the military police in Gunzenhausen, Bavaria.
In 1950 the family settled in Adelaide, Australia.
Doctor Leidig died in 1957 and Barbara was left with two sons. She never remarried and taught mathematics at Woodlands for 23 years. One year she had 4 out of the top 10 students in South Australia in her class and she received a congratulatory phone call from the Adelaide University Mathematics Department.
She also worked as mathematics teacher until she was 81 at the Muirden College matriculation centre.
