Today, during their Swedish military education as conscripts, the soldiers use to point out a soldier who has been an exceptional good comrade or a soldier who have done something special worth mentioning. They use to be recognized at specific ceremonies when all personnel are gathered, and it use to be very much appreciated.
It is also very nice to read about Swede who during the Great War was appreciated by his fellow comrades.
Here is the story about Sergeant Otto S Johnson, Headquarter Company, 39th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division, American Expeditionary Force. (AEF)
Otto S Johnson was born as Otto Sigfrid Johnson on February 8, 1894, in Gårdstånga parish, near Lund in the landscape of Skåne, in the southern part of Sweden.
He was raised by his mother, Kristina Olsdotter and his father, Jöns Nilsson, together with his five siblings. Otto probably got his surname Johnson from his father Jöns, as he was Jöns’s son, Jönsson, which then became Johnson in his new country.
According to the Swedish church books he worked as a farmhand in Sweden, but it seems that he emigrated from Sweden becoming a sailor or similar. I haven’t been able to find a specific year when he left Sweden, but he is noted as an Alien Crew Member on the ship “S.S Thode Fagelund” when the ship arrived California in 1914.
The actual ship was later captured and scuttled by UB.27, 70 miles east of Harwich in March 1917, on a voyage from Shanghai to Rotterdam with a cargo of sesame seed.
Otto is named as Otto Jonsson in the list and seems to have been arrived from his latest destination in Buenos Aires. His profession is stated to be in the Oil lease business, which is an interesting fact later on in the story.
Otto was drafted on June the fifth, 1917, and left for France with his unit on July 10, 1918. As next of kin he mentioned his mother Kristina who at the time lived in Uppåkra, where Otto’s family lived at the time, close to Lund, and that makes me sure that this in the correct Otto.
In the history book of the 39th Infantry Regiment there are stories and rosters of the soldiers who participated in the unit, and nice lists to read about which medals and citations the officers and soldiers have received.
In the end of the book there is a section about how the unit could pointed out a soldier to be among the bravest men in the regiment as chosen by their comrades.
The citation text from the comrades as shown below:
It is quite interesting to read the text about “family’s the sea-going tradition” as I really can’t see that when I read the church books, but it can of course has been like that.
I have also looked through the digitized archives to be sure it is the correct Otto that is mentioned through all the documents and as I can see his parents names in all of them, I am quite sure I have found the correct Otto. I always have to careful not to draw any hasty conclusions when I write my stories.
The ‘one-pounder gun’ served in a three-piece ‘one-pounder gun platoon’ of the headquarters company of an American infantry regiment. (source)
Otto survived the War
Otto left France from the port of Brest on July 30th, 1919 and went back to the United States.
In 1920 he lived back in Santa Barbara in California. In 1921 he made a passport application and the reason was probably to be able to travel abroad and continue his profession in the Oil business.
Sadly, Otto passed away in Mexico 1942, when working as a Oil Driller. I can connect the report of death to his Serial number from U.S Army and his service in the Great War. Otto is today buried in Panteón Francés de La Piedad Cemetery in Ciudad de México, Mexico.
One again I have found nice connections to those Swedish born soldiers who served in the Great War and I will continue to read about the other units who served within the American Expeditionary Force and who knows, I will maybe find other interesting stories.
Five Swedish born soldiers fell in the Great War when serving for the 39th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division. They were:
Arvid J Jelm – Johan Arvid Hjelm – Skaraborg county, Sweden – Aisne-Marne Cemetery
Charles Johnson – Karl Johan Jönsson – Halland county, Sweden – Oise-Aisne Cemetery, France
William R Lagragren – Rudolf Wilhelm Lagergren – Blekinge county, Sweden – Oise-Aisne Cemetery, France
Erick J Oslin – Erik Algot Åslin – Västernorrland county, Sweden – Aisne-Marne Cemetery, France
Carl Victor Peterson – Karl Viktor Pettersson – Dalarna county, Sweden – Oise-Asine Cemetery, France
Otto survived the War. May he rest in peace.