Swedes at The Western Front

For over two years I have been thinking, talking, writing and dreamt about this. To finally start the next phase of my project, to go down to the actual battlefield and visit the sites and areas where the soldiers in my reasearch are assumed to have been fallen, and where they are commemorated or buried.

Finally the day came, and I decided to start the documentation in the area of Messines Ridge, to visit the places of five Swedish soldiers who fought at the Western Front, and sadly fell there.

Please follow me in my foosteps, it was not the best weather today, but we cant have the power over that, nor could the soldiers. Below an area-picture, that maybe makes it a bit easier to follow the pictures below in a more larger context.

Note: The trench maps below may not be from the correct time or period, but shows the terrain at that time.

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5015 Pvt Nils Otto Lundius – 45th Infantry battalion AIF – June 7 1917.

Nils Otto Lundius takes part in an attack that starts on June 7, 1917, from the Stinking Farm location, and then through the defense systems to the east. Nils is killed during the first day’s battles, and is buried in Messines Ridge Cemetery just east of this place.

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23149 Corporal Hilding Hedlund – 15th Canadian Infantry battalion – December 23 1915.

Hilding was spending his time in December 1915 at the area around Plogsteert Woods, when his unit 15th Canadian infantry battalion was moving between Kortepyp Huts, the Reserve position near Red Lodge area and the trenches, beleived to be around this position. Hilding was killed in action at 23rd of December 1915.

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1216 Pvt Neil Nilsson – 33rd Infantry battalion AIF – June 8th 1917.

Neil Nilsson belonged to D Company who were connecting the different lines with communication lines, and it was probably in this area he was killed June 8th 1917, later buried at Plogsteert Wood, but is now mentioned at Menin Gate Memorial. 

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3402 Pvt Johan Hallberg – 57th Infantry battalion AIF – March 4 1918

Johan Hallberg’s battalion, the 57th battalion, conducts a number of raids to the east, in which Johan is estimated to be killed in March 4th 1918.

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2421 Pvt Peter Conrad Hedberg – 58th Infantry battalion AIF – March 13 1918.

Hedberg is killed while serving in the defense systems East of Messines near Cinema Road trenches, when he is hit by a large splinter that cuts one leg and tears another. Conrad does not have time to be taken care of before he dies, and was buried near a casualty clearing station back in the defense system. Conrad died March 13 1918.

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It has been very nice to actually be in the terrain and try to “feel it in”, but of course we will never know the exact situation. Maybe get a feeling from it when listening to recordings from those veterans who survived.

The next day I will spend in the area West of Passchendaele, and that time I will try to follow up 12 Swedish soldiers.

Here are some more photos from today.

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I am still in my fact finding phase regarding Swedish born individuals who fought in the Great War at the Western Front, and also killed and buried there.

Up to this date I am now working with 343 individuals who fall within the criterias mentioned above.

I decided to make some graphic out of the data I have in the database, and have made some diagrams that shows from what county the soldiers were, to, in the longer term, connect this data to data about Swedish emigration, to North America and Canada in particular.

First a graphic diagram that shows which army the Swedish born soldiers fought for. (Updated July 8th, 2021.)

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The next diagram shows from which county in Sweden the Swedish born soldiers came from, those who were fighting for Commonwealth, French and German Armies.

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Note that the figure 132 are those soldiers that I have confirmed to be born in Sweden, with a picture from the Church book at riksarkivet.se. The others are much likely born i Sweden as well, but I want to be consistent in my research.

Note also that the county of Halland in south west is empty, compared to the graph below. For some strange reason Gotland, the large island to the far East, is empty in all of the graphs, even if I know soldiers from Gotland participated in the War. But I have not anyone from Gotland who fell at the Western Front in my database. Yet.

The data you see in this graphic diagram suits well with facts that says that most of the immigration to Canada from Sweden went on in the 1880s. Mostly from the parts Stockholm and “Norrland”, North land. This to be compared to the data below, who shows the soldiers who fought for the American Expeditionary Forces. Of course this is just one conclusion. There were Swedes who went to US in this time as well, who decided to take a part in the Great War, for the Commonwealth, the Canadian armies, as US not participated yet. I have found a few things in my research that points on that.

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The Immigration to US went on from around 1850 to 1910. Almost a million emigrants went to North America in this period. This from an amount of Swedish citizen in Sweden at that time, around 3 500 000 citizens in total.

I have no graph that tells us WHEN the soldiers emigrated, but briefly I can read from the data in my research that many Swedes who fought for the US army in the Great War, went to US around 1907-1914, and from the regions in the south like Västra Götaland, Småland, Kronoberg and Skåne.

As in those days, and still today, most of our population living in the southern part of Sweden, but it is interesting anyway to see that it is in some way connected to the emigration, and I am of course not surprised that it is.

Below you will fin a graphic diagram that shows the total of those 306 confirmed soldiers that I have in my research, of 343 in total.

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I havent made any deeper conclusion yet, but the diagrams above shows anyway some interesting facts.

The most common reasons for Swedes to emigrate in these times are connected to climate changes, that caused hard times for the farmers and the Swedish food production, and the in general poor situation in Sweden at that time. Also the offer from US, of free land to the emigrants, meant a lot to this emigration.

I will in also try to draw more facts from my database to be able to do more comparisons in the future, but the main focus will always be the story of the individuals itself, the history of those, connected to the terrain in Sweden, and on the battlefield.

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I was looking through some archives, as I use to do, and looked for some names that still are Scandinavian, but not so common, and I found the Swedish born soldier David Gerhard Lydell, born April 16th, 1892 in Norra Hestra Parish, Gislaved, Sweden. He was born in an old “Soldattorp” as his father, Josef Lydell, was a soldier in “Jönköpings regemente”, “Mo Härads Kompani 5”.

David left Sweden in 1910 with only $25 in his pocket. He went to France in August 1918, and Died of Decease not even a month after he arrived, age 26.

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I decided to try to find the location of this “soldattorp”, in the small village of Flahult, Norra Hestra, and I think I have located it through some old maps from the Swedish Map Service “Lantmäteriet”. This place is only about 50 km from where I live. Below you can see some snippets from the old maps that I have found, and some from map sites at Internet. The area “Cb” in the small map looks exactly like the area in the larger old map.

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Next step will be to try to visit these areas to collect information for my upcoming Battlefield Guide, that also will contain information about each individual, about their history connected to Sweden.

The other evening I was looking for more information about a soldier named Erik M Carlson, and searched for his name in some digital newspapers. I found a small article about him and was satisfied over that.

I did not reflect over it then, but when reading some articles again, I found in this case another individual in the same text, in the text about Erik M Carlson.

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I decided to search for him in the archives, and there I found him, as the Swedish soldier Otto Harold Christenson Persson.

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Otto was born in Vinslöv, Skåne, in the most southern landscape of Sweden. Otto went to US in 1914. He left US for France in June 1918, fought at the Western Front, and was KIA in October. You can read his faith through some of the photos above.

I have manually searched through most of the common Scandinavian names in the different archives, but there are also individuals with names that are not so common, although the are Scandinavian.

That was the reason in this case, I havent searched through that name before, and it made me glad to find him! I will now read the articles more carefully next time, to maybe find some more hidden gems!

I am still in my fact finding phase in my project about Swedes at the Western Front, and one source that I look into now is in the old Swedish-American newspapers. They are a great source when trying to find names, stories about the individuals that I already have, but also read about the things that happened during that time, in the Great War, between 1914 and 1918.

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This evening I just look through an article by the Swedish journalist, Gunnar Cederschöld, who went to one of the American Training camps in USA at that time, to search for Swedes, both those who had emigrated, but also for those Swedes who were born over there, the Second generation Swedes.

I decides to transcribe the article as I think it gives a bit of insight about who those Swedes were, what they thought about, and what made them join the army and be prepared to go out in war., even if it is just a small glimps, and may not cover all of the Swedes who participated.

The article is from a newspaper from August 7th, 1918, called Omaha-Post. I have adjusted his lanhuage a bit as it was written in old Swedish, but the core in still intact. Below you can read it in English. Please understand that some of the men had values from that time, who may not reflect the common Swede today, but it is still interesting.

... The next day I came to an artillery brigade. And there I found better hunting grounds. The general gave me a Swedish corporal and a soldier and with them I went from battery to battery and looked through the scrolls. And on each battery we found several Andersson, Karlson, Lundström, Lindgren, etc. And if there was no other, there was a Christensen or Pedersen.

Then it was an easy thing to find them. The occasional Anderson we saw was an angry Scotsman, but the vast majority willingly admitted that they were either born in Sweden or by Swedish parents. And the most gratifying thing was that they were proud of it. In these regiments, which in part came from the Middle West, it seemed to be considered a merit to be Swedish. Nearly half of the countrymen, both first and second generation, were corporals or sergeants. Some were “Military Policemen”, a occupation reserved for solid and steadfast men with influence over their comrades and accustomed to dealing with drunken people.

You certainly did not have to be ashamed of your countrymen out there. You didn’t have to look for more handsome men. Those Swedes born or raised in the U. S. A. were often giants nearly two meters tall, blond, broad-shouldered, and confident, but awake and alert. With surprise, I found that most of those who were born in the states spoke good Swedish or at worst understood completely. The children of New York Swedes seldom admit that they know the language of their fathers.

I had come to ask them a lot of things. But I did not get much opportunity for that. They had so many questions to ask me.

“How are things in the old country, they must have a hard time with food?” was almost always the first question.

“Do they have coffee? Do they have bread?”

“I almost broke in tears at breakfast, when I think of the old people, who might be eating “bark bread”, said a northerner. “Do you have any Swedish newspapers with you?” I bitterly regretted not bringing a bundle of trade newspapers. They would have been more than welcome out here.

“Is it possible to send a couple of pounds of coffee to my family in the old country?”

“Is it true that there are Swedes in the French army? How have they managed?”

What I had to say about the Swedish legionaries interested them. “I knew that Swedish boys can fight”, said the former railway man. – We’ll probably be able to cope with what we bring with us when it is our turn! -There are no Swedes with the Germans, are there?

I must admit that although there were a couple of officers there, there was very little risk or chance that they would come across them. However, there were some Swedes in the English army and several companies among the Canadians. That’s good to know, they said.

The American-born Swedes showed more international views on their issues. They wanted to know, if there was any risk or chance , that Sweden would be involved in the war and on which side. If the Socialists gained ground during the war. What the new government went for. If industry and finance suffered much from the war. -How high was the dollar in Sweden?

–Do they know at home that there are many thousands of Swedes in the United States army? That a large part of them are volunteers? In these regiments, everyone was a volunteer. Only a few had been soldiers before 1917.

Among them was an old corporal (or possibly sergeant, I do not remember for sure) Berg from Stockholm, who despite over twenty years of service in the US Army, spoke genuine Stockholm dialect and was delighted to talk about his Stockholm memories .

But about his father the watchmaker in Stockholm, I could sadly not give him any fresh news.

A very sympathetic acquaintance was the Swedish lieutenant E, a calm serious man. He had an advance – from non-commissioned officer and served as a first lieutenant.

The vast majority of the Swedes had volunteered when America declared war, many of them had signed up the day after the declaration of war. Some were very young and came directly from agricultural schools, universities or technical colleges. Others were already mature men, who had abandoned their farms, workshops or shops to go out and fight for Uncle Sam. I hardly met a single one who became a soldier because he failed in civilian life. Nor was the desire for adventure what drove them. The vast majority had taken the rifle for the same reason as the Swedes in the Foreign Legion.

Pure idealism, Violated sense of justice, resentment against the breaker of promise and the child and woman killer. – “Right should be right” is the core of the Swede’s view of life, on whatever latitude he lives. And one who violates the law, he should be beaten. Their national selfesteem about American subjects had also contributed, both among the Swedish-born and those of the second generation. They could not stand with their hands in their pockets and watch as the emperor stepped on Uncle Sam’s toes.

They need to go out and teach the world respect for Stars and Stripes.

In the first place, they feel like Americans. But the awareness that they are of Swedish blood gives them a certain self-confidence. They know that their ancestors fought well against Germans, Moscovites and others. They feel the responsibility to carry on the Swedish warrior tradition.

Now that I know them, I trust that they will do so with honor and that we will be honored by our countrymen.

I went through some digital newspapers the other day, and I found some interesting things related to Sweden and First World War.

I saw the small note about a Captain in British Expeditionary Forces, who was killed in action during the first day of Battle of the Somme at the Western Front.

The Captain Was the Swede born in London, by Swedish parents, Gustaf Oscar Roos.

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It is also intersting to read about his brother. You can find more info about his brother George Roos-Keppel through the link below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Roos-Keppel

Below you find some text about Gustaf Oscar Roos, that describes his story from a youngster, how he gained experience in the Boer War in South Africa, about his awards and when he later then joined the BEF to fight at the Western Front.

“Captain Roos was the younger son of Mr. Gustaf Roos of Queen’s Gate Terrace. He was admitted in 1882, became a Queen’s Scholar in 1883. In 1887 left the school and was admitted to Balliol College Oxford where he took a first-class in jurisprudence in 1891. As a law student in London he took a very active part in organising and managing working boys’ clubs in the East End which were managed as a charitable endeavour. He became a solicitor and often worked as a ‘Poor Man’s Solicitor’ at Toynbee Hall. In the Boer War joined Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry. He was twice wounded, severely at the Battle of Spion Kop in 1900, and obtained the King’s Medal and the Queen’s Medal with six clasps. He then remained in Johannesburg practicing once again as a solicitor.

The Elizabethan records that:

He came to England for the war, and though at first refused a commission on the ground of his age obtainedit by his importunity. He had boundless energy and great capacity, and was the most unselfish of men. He lived, as he died, for the good of others.

He was killed in action near Serre in the Battle of Somme on 1^st July 1916. ‘A’ Company of the 14th Battalion the York and Lancaster Regiment was under his command and ordered to proceed in file across ‘No Man’s Land’ towards the German trenches. A later report suggests that Roos managed to enter a German trench but was immediately wounded, captured by the German soldiers and taken to a nearby hospital, set up in a church, where he died from his wounds.

He was initially buried in the Fremicourt Communal Cemetery by the German forces in 1916. His body exhumed on 26^th June 1924 for reburial in a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. He was described as ‘a well-developed man with auburn hair and about 5 foot 9 or 10 inches in height, both legs broken, body badly smashed.’

Source: http://firstworldwar.westminster.org.uk

Taken from “Account of part taken by the 14th (S) Bn. York & Lanc Rgt. On the attack on Serre. 1st July 1916.

The following were casualties sustained by this Battalion during these operations:

Officers:

Killed – Lieut. Fordike, 2/Lieut. Hirst

Missing – Capt. Ross, Capt. Houston, Lieut. Fairley, Lieut. Anderson

Wounded – Lieut. Lowinsky, 2/Lieut. Strong. 2/Lieut. Holmes, 2/Lieut. Kell

Other Ranks:

Killed – 24

Wounded – 149

Missing – 92

Captain Roos mentioned above is assumed to be Captain Roos.

Source: https://www.greatwarforum.org/

He is today buried in this cemetery:

DOUCHY-LES-AYETTE BRITISH CEMETERY

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Once again I became enlightened during the evening, when browsing through some digital American newspapers from 1917. It reveals Interesting facts that I never heard or read about before. Its about the first officer who became the first one to be put on the casualty list on General Pershing Forces in France, at the Western Front in France, 1917.

That officer was a Swedish born soldier. The officer were 2nd Lt Frederick Wahlstrom. Read more about him below.

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Frederick Wahlstrom was born in Mariestad, Sweden, May 5th, 1878. He moved to USA in 1897 only 19 year old.

He came to USA when he was 19 years old, in 1897 and enlisted in the Marine Corps as a private in 1903. In 1904 he was one of those sent to Panama, when trouble was brewing between the United States, Panama and Columbia over the canalzone, to which the United States was then receiving title. Two years later, he again went south, to Cuba. He was among the marines landed at Havana on September 30, 1906, to quell the Cuban insurrection and to give support to William Howard Taft, then Secretary of War under Roosevelt, when he took over for a time the government of the country.

Frederick saw much more of the world after that, and in 1915 he was assigned to the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn. Because of his expert knowledge of electricity, he was placed in charge of the Marine Corps Electrical School. He did that in two yeras before he was called to be sent to France.

He showed his extraordinary skill as a marksman.  In 1914 he won the international competition for the individual rifle championship of northern China, in which competition the best rifle shots in the principal armies of the world took part. He also captured the national rifle matches held in Sea Girt, New Jersey, in 1908, and the national competitive shooting matches held in Mt. Peary, Ohio in 1910.

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Frederick served abroad in France from June 27th, 1917, for the 5th US Marine Corps, to the date when he was killed in August 21, 1917. Frederick was not engaged in any battle before he died. His death came in another way.

Frederick was killed when driving his motorbike, and there are notes in the newspapers which says that he was killed when he crushed his skull during the accident, 6 pm in the evening that specific day, at the age of 39. His parents still lived in Sweden during that time, but his nearest realtive in the US was his cousine, Edward Häggström.

2nd Lt Frederick Wahlström was buried in France after his death, with full military honors. He is now buried in the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery.

There are several small texts about Frederick in the American newspapers, and below you can read some of them. They are both in Swedish and in English.

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I will continue to try to find more information about Frederick Wahlström, like in which perish he was born and who his parents were. I will not add Frederick to my project as he doesnt fullfill the criterias for my research, but it is a really intersting story, which brings just another brick into our Swedish history regarding the Swedish born soldiers during the time of WW1.

Update June 11, 2021.

I am now trying to sort out some facts that I have. I assume now that Fredericks name was not Fredrik in Swedish. I work now with a specific thought that the Date of Birth is correct, which is, according to some sources, May 5th 1878.

One source claim that he is born in 1878, and that he is also is 15 years old when he arrives USA in 1897, which is not correct. He should be 19, as you also can see in some documents below.

One document, the application for naturlization, states that he arrives in April 27 1897 with the ship Paroma.

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I think they read it wrong, and I assume they mean the S.S Pavonia. It is hard to read from the document though.

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I think it is like this:

Frederick Wahlstrom is actually called August Gottfrid Wahlström in Sweden. August Gottfrid is born the same date, May 5th, 1878, near Mariestad, in the Perish of Horn. In the Book it says that August Gottfrid leaves for N. America in February 1897, where he probably leaves Liverpool anytime in March 1897. Below you can see info from some sources that makes it more likely that Frederick is actually August Gottfrid. But this is just assuptions still.

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This is just an example of the method I use when I am trying to find and confirm the individuals to be born in Sweden. below you can also find some maps from the locations that are mentioned in the church book.

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As you already know I am working with my project about the Swedish born soldiers who fought and fell at the Western Front. In the menu you can find a list over the soldiers that I so far have found within in my criterias for the project. Soldiers list.

You can also find some individuals developed with some more information, which is work that is updated now and then, with more portraits.

Although I keep the main list updated with name, cemetery, monument, Date of Birth and Date of Death.

Behind all the names, there is more fact, not shown in the list, only in my database documents. Right now I have collected around 3000 pictures, snippets of documents. I have also started to put in more geographical fact in the database, that I will use later on.

The main goal is to write a guide book, that connects the individual to the terrain, and also give a small story about every individual. It is probable that I will divide the database into more books, where I concentrate on a certain amount of individuals, and maybe divide them into both armies, or specific terrain and battles. The future will tell.

Below some snippets of the pictures I have, and also the database.

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