Author: Jocke Hallberg

Eva Sofia Kullgren probably knew who the father of her son was, but it is not mentioned in the Swedish church books. Her son, Gustaf Adolf, is noted as illegemite in the book of birth.

Gustaf Adolf was born in Irsta parish in Västmanland county, Sweden, on June 4th, 1879.

His mother, Eva Sofia Kullgren, was at the time married to Anders Gustaf Sundquist, and Gustaf was raised in the family together with 8 siblings.

Gustaf Adolf emigrated to North America in 1891, and the year is confirmed in the American documents of naturalization. In the Swedish church books he is mentioned as absent, and in the book from 1921 it is written a note with a pencil that Gustaf probably was in America and probably have died in the War on the American side.

Gustaf Adolf must have been around 11 years old when he emigrated and I assume he must have emigrated together with someone, but I haven’t been able to find any immigration documents in the Ellis Islands American Archives. Although it is mentioned in the documents of naturalization from 1904 that he arrived New York on January 1st, 1891.

Medal of Honor

Gustaf Adolf Sundquist enlisted in the U. S. Navy July 30th, 1897, at an age of 18, and served in the Navy during the American War with Spain as an Ordinary Seaman on board the USS Nashville. He was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor for his bravery during the operation of cutting the cable leading from Cienfuegos, Cuba, on May 11, 1898.

The Spanish-American War was a brief conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spain’s colonial presence in America and established the U.S. as a major world power. 

His citation for the medal reads: “Facing the heavy fire of the enemy, Sundquist displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout this action“. His Medal was awarded to him on November 1, 1899, at an age of 20.

Gustaf was discharged from the Navy 26 Sept. 1900. In 1905 he married Matilda E. Pearson in Brooklyn, N.Y. and the couple had five children. They came to Cleveland about 1915 where he was employed as a structural ironworker until 4th of May 1918 when he reenlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve to serve in. Assigned to Ft. Lafayette Naval Air Station at Crois D’Hins, France.

During the FWW ocean-bed telephone cables were severed and alternative means of long-range communication had to be explored. At the time, radiotelegraphy was developing rapidly and when the US joined Allied operations in 1917, they needed a reliable and permanent communications channel between Europe and the States.

General Pershing, head of the American Expeditionary Forces, requested the construction of a radiotelegraphy station and Croix d’Hins in France emerged as the preferred site. Assets included its location some distance from the frontlines, its proximity to the port of Bordeaux despite being outside urban areas, easy access to the railway network and, more generally, its optimal position near to the Atlantic coast, ideal for transatlantic messaging.

Work began in March 1918 on building the transmitter and antennae, technical units, a water tower, a refectory, lodgings and even a school. To facilitate the task, a railway siding departed from the main line and led up to the main building. No less than 750 US Marines were drafted to the site to install equipment and erect the pylons. They had been manufactured by the Pitt-Des Moines steel company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Source: https://invisiblebordeaux.blogspot.com/)

During August 25th, 1918, Gustaf took a Swim outside Cap Ferret west of Bordeaux, France, and he was lost in the waves. He accidently drowned, and his body has never been recovered.

Gustaf is today mentioned on the Wall of the Missing at Brookwood American Cemetery in Surrey, south-west of London. He also has a headstone at the American Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, as a memory marker.

His name on the wall of the missing has just recently been marked in gold together with a Medal of Honor Star. A link to the small movie here.

May Gustaf rest in peace, wherever he is.

Carl Frederick Youngberg and Erik Olaf Olson stand almost next to each other at the cemetery in the French village of Aulnoy. They fought for the 44th Canadian Infantry Battalion, and died on November 1st, 1918.

In between them there is a Nels Anderson. He also fell for the 44th Battalion, on November 1st, 1918. Does he also have any Swedish connection? Let’s find out.

Earlier in July this year I did a small tour to visit the Swedes who fought and fell in the Great War. The main purpose of this tour was to visit and take photos of the headstones of the Swedes that I have in my database. There is still some of them left to take photos of, but that I have to leave for the next tour.

One of the last cemeteries to visit on the tour was the CWGC Aulnoy Communal Cemetery in the village of Aulnoy in northern France.

Carl Frederick Youngberg

Carl was born as Carl Ferdinand Ljungberg in Wä parish, Kristianstad parish, in Skåne, Sweden, June 2nd, 1896. He was raised by his mother Jenny Christina Ljungberg and his father Adolf Ljungberg, together with his six siblings.

The family emigrated to the large continent in the West already in 1902, and initially arrived in Quebec, Canada. In 1905 the family is mentioned in the Minnesota Census. The family lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, when Carl decided to sign up for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in June 1917.

However, Carl was also drafted for the American Army, in the draft of June 5th, 1917. The reason for why he decided to sign up for the Canadian Army instead, wasn’t known to me in the beginning , but I read in the Canadian attestation papers that he had some low values when it came to his eyesight, but not as bad that he couldn’t fulfill his duties.

I later found documents from his family that said he wanted to join the U.S Navy, but was rejected due to defective vision. The family believed that this was the reason for him to join the Canadian Army.

Carl went over to Etaples in France in the beginning of September 1918. His unit, the 44th Canadian Infantry battalion, was active in the Hundred days Offensive, and the battalion was active in the area of MONT HOUY WOOD and FAMARS south of Valenciennes, France.

On the first of November 1918, Carl was initially reported Missing, but later on reported as Killed in Action. He died at an age of 22.

Erik Olaf Olson

Erik Olaf Olson was born as Olof Erik Olsson in Gustavi parish, Gothenburg, Sweden, on September 21, 1881. He emigrated to North America already in 1901, just before he was supposed to make his conscript period for the Swedish Army, when he became 21. He was only 19 when he left Sweden.

Erik was married to Emma Olson, and they lived in Winnipeg, Canada, when Erik signed the Canadian military attestation papers in May 1916. Erik was quite old when he signed the papers.

He embarked in Liverpool in December 1916, and later went over to France in March 1917, and was attached to the 44th Battalion, from his earlier battalion, the 203rd.

Sergeant Olson was leading his platoon in the same area as Youngberg, when he was killed instantly by an enemy bullet, on November 1st, 1918, during the capture of Aulnoy.

Nels Anderson

In between the headstones of Youngberg and Olson, there is the headstone of N. Anderson. He was Nels Anderson, born in Youngstown, Iowa, North America, On September 7th, 1898. But I have also found some documents that may indicate that he was born in 1900, or even in 1902.

Nels lived in Granger, Iowa, when he signed his Canadian military attestation papers in Winnipeg, Canada, in February 1918.

His father, Nils Anderson, was born in Sweden in 1867, and emigrated from Sweden in 1885. There is a note in the archives that he immigrated to North America in 1894. There he got married to Mary Ann Anderson, born in Illinois, to Scottish parents.

Nels also fought in the capture of Aulnoy. Before he was attached to the 44th battalion, he was a part of the Depot Battalion, Manitoba regiment, who was responsible for training and equipping the soldiers before the were set for active duty.

Nels was also killed during November 1st, 1918.

It is always interesting with soldiers living in North America but were fighting for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War.

For me as a Swede it is also interesting to visit the cemetery and take a photo of three soldiers in a row, who have connection to Sweden. That makes the Swedish emigration history more interesting. I will continue the research about the connection between Swedish emigration and the Great War.

So, you military guides out there, now you have another story to tell on your tour, when visiting the Aulnoy Communal Cemetery.

May they rest in peace, they are not forgotten.

The New Zealand Division, recovering in northern France after a difficult winter in the Ypres Salient, was among forces rushed south to the Somme. It began moving by train on 24 March, 1918. Attached to General Sir Julian Byng’s Third Army, the New Zealanders became part of Sir George Harper’s IV Corps, with which they would serve for the rest of the war. Sent forward to Hédauville in the Ancre Valley to fill an apparent 7-km gap between Hamel and Hébuterne, they moved into position just as the Germans mounted a new drive towards Doullens.

Erik Lowendale could have been involved in these activities, when he served in the 1st Battalion, Otago Regiment, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, in the spring of 1918.

Erik Lowendale

Erik Lowendale was born as Erik Gustaf Konstantin Löfvendahl in Lundby parish, Uddevalla, Sweden, on March 1st, 1891. He was raised by his mother Hedda Maria Andersson Löfvendahl and his father Johan Alfred Andersson. Erik had six siblings.

Erik’s father died in October 1900, when Erik was nine years old, and the children grew up with their mother. His mother Hedda was also called Hulda according to the Swedish church books from the period.

It is not known when Erik left Sweden, but he was a sailor, and belonged to the Uddevalla Naval Corps, when he is noted as absent in the Swedish Church Books around 1915.

Erik signed his Military attestation papers in March 1916, but there are also some notes in the New Zealand criminal records from 1915, so he must have left Sweden earlier than 1915. As many other Swedish born individuals, who were sailors, Erik may have jumped ship in New Zealand, reason unknown.

Erik settled down at Stewart Islands, south of the Southern Island, New Zealand. he stated his profession was a fisherman.

In his attestation papers he wrote that he was born in Lerwick, but that should most likely be Lervik, outside Strömstad, north of Uddevalla, on the Swedish West Coast. He could of course also has stated the town of Lerwick, Shetland Island, as he may have sailed there on his journey as a sailor. Who knows.

In the CWGC archive it says that he is born at Lovendal, but that should be “as Lovendal”. Her you can also see that his mother is called Hulda instead of Hedda, as mentioned in the text above.

Erik was killed in action on April 11th, 1918, when he was fighting with his unit in the area between Hédauville and Ancre Valley, north of Albert, in France. He is today buried in Englebelmer Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

You will reach the headstone in the extension by going through the communal cemetery and then up to the left corner.

Erik has some more notes in his service records, about offences towards military police and officers, and I can see in front of me how he was a bit of a rough sailor. He entered Etaples in France in September 1916, and experienced a lot before he met his final destiny. May he rest in peace.

He is not forgotten.