His father's close connections with officials at the court of the German Emperor are said to have been a crucial factor in Hans Hermann Eschke's advancement in the diplomatic service,[3] which eventually led to him being posted to Singapore in 1889.

Thanks to the Sohst family's excellent connections, Eschke and his wife were able to establish themselves quickly as the standard-bearers of the local German community, in whose interests they worked assiduously and with much success.

[3] In January 1902, Eschke, still based in Singapore, was concurrently appointed consul for the British-controlled part of Borneo, Brunei, Sarawak, Labuan, and the Federated Malay States.

[4] Eschke was held in high esteem in Singapore throughout his stay in the Straits, not only for representing German interests, but also as an "adopted" Singaporean by the locals, having lived there so long.

The Singapore Free Press wrote:[4] Amongst his own people he had earned by his devotion to German interests a striking popularity, and those members of the general community who were not brought into familiar relations with him by nationality and mother tongue, had learned to recognise his sterling qualities, and estimate correctly his upright principles.Eschke's grave was originally located at the Bukit Timah Cemetery, which was cleared in 1971 and turned into a park.