He dreamt about Australia, but ended up in Canada – A short story about a Swede who fought and fell for CEF in the Great War

One day Linder Nilsson overslept and arrived too late at his work at the sawmill in Töcksfors. The owner, Nils Sanamon, fired him immediately. That was the start of a great adventure.

Earlier this year I wrote an article about identifying Swedish soldiers who served in the Great War. One of the soldiers I was struggling with was Linder Nelson. He stated he was born in Sweden but I had difficulties to find information in the Swedish archives to confirm the data from the archives.

Finally I managed to find the correct data, and later I could confirm Linder Nelson to be Elof Linder Nilsson from Töcksmark parish in Sweden.

Elof Linder Nilsson was born in Töcksmark parish on Westra Bön farm, in the landscape of Värmland. He was born on February 11th, 1886, and was a former soldier in Karlskrona Coastal Artillery, but he didn’t mention that in his Canadian Attestation papers. He was raised by his mother Laura Nilsson (Abrahamsdotter), and his father Nils August Nilsson, together with his siblings, Olga Elvira and Anna.

Through my article about finding the correct data about the soldiers, I was contacted by a relative to Linder, and she gave me very interesting information about him, which always makes me happy!

Linder signed his Canadian Attestation papers on October 25th, 1915, Sailed from Canada on April 17th, 1916, and arrived in Bramshott, England, on April 28th, 1916. He joined his unit, 14th Canadian Infantry Battalion, on the field in France on June 29th, 1916.

From an article in the Swedish newspaper “Nordmarksbygden” from 2010, I read the following information. The article was made by Gunnar Carlstedt. Linder was the Great uncle to Gunnars wife. I have translated the article into English.

One morning in the early 20th century, Linder Nilsson from Töcksfors overslept and arrived late for work. Nils Sanamon, a sawmill owner, fired Linder on the spot. That marked the beginning of an adventurous life.

In February 1910, Linder traveled to Stockholm and took a job as a firefighter.

“Agile and strong, handsome as a god and the torment of every girl’s heart; a heroic figure in his firefighter’s gear, and a devil with the ladies.”

So begins the poem “A Firefighter,” recorded by Linder in his diary. But firefighting is a tough profession today, and it was even more so in 1910; Linder witnessed colleagues and friends losing their lives on the job.

Yet Linder craved more excitement in his life, and on October 22, 1912, he set sail on a whaling ship from Tönsberg (Norway). The voyage took him first to Antwerp and then to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. In letters home, he described Las Palmas as a city of white houses and flat roofs, where vendors offered wine and tropical fruits.

On November 29, 1912 he arrived in South Georgia—located east of Argentina, southeast of the Falkland Islands, and at the same latitude as Cape Horn—and remained there until the end of 1915.

He worked in the whaling industry. Whales were plentiful, and he earned a good income. However, he dreamed of traveling to Australia. Yet, he could not afford the deposit required to secure a berth on a ship bound there. Shipping companies demanded this deposit because jobs in Australia were so plentiful that crew members would desert the ship once they went ashore; in one instance, only the captain and the first mate remained on board.

Back in Töcksfors, Linder had been inspired to travel to North America by his aunt Alma’s husband, Erik Gustaf Hansson. Hansson had made the trip twice. During his first visit, he engaged in selling firearms to Native Americans, who used the rifles to rob trains. When this activity came to light, Erik Gustaf was expelled. He returned once more under a false identity but was exposed and came back to Töcksfors in 1906.

In March 1918, the 14th Canadian Infantry Battalion (in which Linder served) was involved in fighting near the town of Lens in France. They were engaged in constructing defensive works and dispatching patrols on night raids, all while exposed to intense artillery and machine-gun fire. Linder was killed during one of these raids or by the German bombardment and is now buried in the Mazingarbe Communal Cemetery Extension; Mazingarbe is a small town in Pas-de-Calais, situated between the larger cities of Lens and Béthune.

Through my recent dialogue to Anne, who is the relative that contacted me, I have received some more photos of artifacts, like the “Death Penny” and the conversation about who was entitled to the pension after Linder’s death. it is very interesting to read about the process. I received a photo of the death certificate as well. (Photos above)

I have visited the headstone of Linder Nelson a couple of times when have been travelling in France, and I remember when I visited him last time, performing my normal routine, talking to the soldier, telling him that he is not forgotten. I take a photo with the Swedish flag as well, that is very important to me.

Anne told me that Linder wrote poetry, and she will try to find the book with his writings, which would add extra information to the individual. I find it very interesting to be able to strengthen the picture of the soldiers, who they were, and why they ended up where they did.

I take a very humble approach to the information that Anne sent to me, and I am very glad that I decided to start with my research, which is a very important part of my life today.

May Linder rest in peace.