The main part of my research about the Swedes in the Great War is up to this date about the Swedish born soldiers and their fates in the war, but along the way I also see a lot of other Swedish connections among the soldiers who fell and are buried along the Western Front in Belgium and France.
Together with the names of the Swedish born soldiers in my database I will now try to gather information about the soldiers who was born in their new home countries by their Swedish born parents, as I think it will be an interesting value within the research about Swedish emigration.
I will also broaden my research to include those Swedish born soldiers who fell in the great war and were brought home to their new home countries, such as Canada and US of A.
At this moment I have limited my research to include the Swedish born soldiers who fought and fell in the Great War and are buried along the Western Front in France and Belgium, but I realize that I have to highlight more of the Swedish connections to the Great War.
When I do this I have to do it in a organized way, and therefor I have started to look into the casualty lists from the large memorials along the Western Front. I have made a first look into the memorial of the fallen Canadians at Vimy Ridge.
In addition to those 17 Swedish born soldiers mentioned and commemorated on Vimy Ridge Memorial, I will add those soldiers below, born in their new countries by Swedish born parents.
Below you will find some of the soldiers mentioned with their name on this memorial who were born in Canada or US of A by Swedish born parents.
696792 – John Peter Backman – 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion – April 10th, 1917
- Born in South Dakota, USA, March 11th, 1893
- Raised by his parents Anders Persson Beckman, born in Bollnäs, Dalarna, Sweden April 27, 1857, and Anna Margareta Larsson, born in Sweden 1863.
- Lived in Hanns, Alberta, Canada.
- Link to Library and Archives Canada
- Remarks: First assumed to be Missing in action, later on reported Killed in action. In service for less than three months in the field, before killed in action.
925597 – Henry H Bergquist – 5th Canadian Infantry Battalion – April 28th, 1917
- Born in Brunswick, Kanabec county, Minnesota, June 12th, 1898
- Raised by his parents Märta Johanna Svensdotter, born in Ådsalsliden, Sollefteå county, Ångermanland, Sweden, March 13th, 1874, and Jonas Peter Bergquist, born in Resele, Sollefteå county, Ångermanland, Sweden, October 1st, 1866. Both parents left Sweden in 1892, for North America.
- Lived in Yellowgrass, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Link to Library and Archives Canada
- Remarks: Previous reported wounded and missing, later declared Killed in action after just a bit more than a month in the field.
2138992 – Albert Leonard Lofquist – 72nd Canadian Infantry Battalion – September 2nd, 1918
- Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, March 21st, 1896
- Raised by his parents Emelie Lofquist (Målgren) born in Traryd, Kronoberg county, Småland, Sweden, May 16th, 1861, and Olof Johannesson Lofquist, born in Hallaryd, Kronoberg county, Småland, Sweden, May 11th, 1865. Left Sweden for as a family for North America in 1890.
- Lived in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Link to Library and Archives Canada
- Remarks: Killed in action just after around three weeks in the field.
550229 – Olof Swanson – Royal canadian Dragoons – March 30th, 1918
- Born in York, Ontario, Canada, September 29th, 1895
- Raised by his parents Elvira Löfgren, born in Hällaryd, Blekinge, Sweden, April 21st, 1867, and Olof Svensson, believed to be Sven Olof Swanson, born in Asarum, Blekinge, Sweden, September 2nd, 1871. Elvira went to North America in 1889, and Sven Olof believed to have arrived around the same year.
- Lived in Toronto, Canada.
- Link to Library and Archives Canada
- Remarks: Killed in action after have spent almost a year in the field.
101720 – Edward Frederick Wiberg – 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion – September 27th, 1916.
- Born in Alberta, Canada, June 8th, 1895
- Raised by his parents Lovisa Engström, born in Arboga, Västmanland county, Västmanland, Sweden September 8, 1856, and Edward Eriksson Wiberg, born in Lekvattnet, Värmland, Sweden, May 26, 1863. Left as a family to Canada in 1893.
- Lived in Duhamel, Alberta, Canada
- Link to Library and Archives Canada
- Remarks: Reported Missing in action, later reported Killed in action, after just around 2,5 months in the field.
443336 – Harry Harold Wikstrom – 54th Canadian Infantry Battalion – March 31st, 1917
- Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, February 5th, 1896
- Raised by his parents Johan Daniel Wikström, born in Sundsvall, Sweden, December 11th, 1870. Went to North America in 1892. Charlotta Wikström, born May 4th, 1878, Place of birth in Sweden unknown, noted to have arrived North America in 1892.
- Lived in Seven Lakes, British Columbia, Canada.
- Link to Library and Archives Canada
- Remarks: Killed in action after been in the field in around 8,5 months.
Some of the names above doesn’t have any documents from the source “Circumstances of death” due to that the archive was partially destroyed and misses out a part of surnames beginning with an “S” and beyond. In those cases I have included a snippet from the “Library and Archives Canada” instead.
The above mentioned individuals are those I have found so far, looking through the archive files of those who are mentioned on the Memorial of Vimy Ridge. It may be more of them.
I will continue to search for more information with Swedish connections, both in cemetery registers and on memorial registers, to add to my research described in the introduction of this post.
