Erich Mörchel was born on 21 December 1908 in Dortmund. He lived with his father-in-law, August Bommelitz, in the house of the latter at Flughafenstrasse 80.
Erich Mörchel worked as a miner on the coal face, at Zeche Scharnhorst mine, among others. He was one of the leading organizers of the Resistance to the Nazis in the factories and coalmines of Dortmund, and until 1933 was a member of the KPD, the German Communist Party.

Between 1933 and 1937, Erich Mörchel was arrested and detained several times. In April 1934 he was found guilty of “preparation of acts of treason” and sentenced to a term of imprisonment; to serve this, he was sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he was held until 1936.

On 9 February 1945, along with his brother Karl Mörchel (see link to Stolperstein for → Karl Mörchel, Eicktelgenweg 6) and a further 26 men and women of the Resistance movement, he was arrested and tortured. In the course of the so-called “end-phase crimes” committed by the Gestapo around Eastertime of 1945, they were all killed by a bullet to the back of the head and found dead in Romberg Park on 19 April 1945. Altogether, in March and April 1945, around 300 people, above all slave labourers and members of the Resistance – both male and female – were murdered by the Dortmund Gestapo. They are commemorated today by the memorial in Bittermark.

August Bommelitz was arrested many times in the years 1933-1935 because of his political activities for the KPD. In April 1934, he was found guilty of “preparation of acts of treason”, sentenced to a term of imprisonment of one year and six months, and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, from where he was released on 5 September 1935.
August Bommelitz died on 10 June 1948 of the after-effects of the suffering sustained by him during his detention.