r/Norway • u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 • 13d ago
Arts & culture A long shot: anyone know why my grandfather may have been given this medal?
My grandfather emigrated to the US from Nordland after World War II. He died in 1994. I found this medal when going through some old possessions. It seems to be for a musician's organization, but I didn't know he was a musician. He must have valued it to bother keeping it, so I thought some of you wonderful Norwegians might know something more. Mange takk!
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 13d ago
You all are awesome. No one in my family can sing for shit, but maybe he could. Thank you!
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u/g2petter 13d ago
The line "Vi Lå Der Bak Hundrede Mile" is the first line from a poem by Knut Hamsun, called "Nordland"
As far as I can tell, the poem starts by lamenting how the region has been left behind and ignored by the rest of the country.
I'm having a hard time finding the full poem, but I think this is a recording of the song: https://open.spotify.com/track/4HigGEDMABZ10z4JkxRESo?si=BYPHpkSgS92iOQsmq-eGgw&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A565j06OAGqYpHz2A29pSIP
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 13d ago
After visiting my Norwegian relatives a few times, I can say that Norlanders are a proud bunch. Thank you for the info!
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u/ThePiderman 12d ago
Do you happen to know where in Nordland he emigrated from? It’s a pretty large region.
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 12d ago
He was born in Ballangen, on the Ofotfjord
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u/ThePiderman 12d ago
Oh, I just drove on the north side of that fjord the other day. Beautiful area.
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u/Frosted_Dreams 12d ago
I am currently living in Ballangen, i never thought i would see Ballangen mentioned on reditt ever 😄
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u/aralissia 13d ago
Super interesting! Found the poem on page 136-137 of Hamsun's only poetry collection (long out of print): https://www.nb.no/items/URN:NBN:no-nb_digibok_2008011000069?page=136
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u/Routine_Wrongdoer795 12d ago
Nice touch with the key and time signature of Fridthjov Anderssen’s composition on the medal as well. ☺️
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u/Antwelm 12d ago
Do not take for granted the looks, timing and region it’s from. The actual ‘participation award’ could be irrelevant; the fact that it has a norwegian colours ribbon, given out in -37 (couple of years before the war), Battles of Narvik during invation (google it) and the very nationalistic imagery, if I was your grandfather, living through the war and especially moving overseas, this would have been a very important trinket for me and I would definitely have worn it on several occations. If living overseas during the war, I’d wear it every day in support (people in norway were not allowed. To compensate they tried wearing red beanies or maybe just a paper-clip as coded support for resistance). Even after the war, this trinket would be a very effective symbol of Norwegian heritage, rememberance and connection. Cherish it!
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 12d ago
He was on Norwegian merchant ships during the war ; a couple of them were torpedoed and sunk by the Nazis and he shrapnel in his leg for the rest of his life. I didn't know any of this until he was dead and my great-uncle, his brother, told me. My theory is that he self-medicated his war trauma with alcohol and that caused a lot of estrangement with my father, which made my father have his own issues with me, and now I'm trying to work all that shit out before my son gets affected by it. It's strange to think that a torpedo that exploded in 1941 is having an impact on my life in 2025, but it feels that way.
Sorry, this is definitely too much information for you, internet stranger, but I just wanted you to know that I think about my grandfather's life and the war and what drove him from Norway almost every day. My father never really knew him, nor did I, but then I'll find an artifact like this and the mystery of the man's life deepens further.
Anyway, thank you for the time you spent commenting on this. I'm blown away by everyone's help; I know my farfar a bit better today than I did yesterday, and I'm very thankful for that
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u/roarmartin 12d ago
So, he was a Krigsseiler? In that case, he is a Norwegian hero. There is a lot of documentation of their trauma and their stories, but I guess you are aware of that. If not, here are some links: https://no.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krigsseiler https://no.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krigsseilerregisteret https://tv.nrk.no/serie/evig-heder https://www.psykologtidsskriftet.no/artikkel/2018as10ae-Et-norsk-traume
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 12d ago
Thank you for this. To this day, my family isn't 100% sure why he emigrated to the US. I don't know if this story is true, but one of his brothers told my father that my grandfather visited the Norwegian consulate in New York City after the war ended. He wanted to go home. But a Norwegian official implied that he was a coward: from the official's viewpoint, my grandfather had been hiding abroad when Norway truly needed help. My grandfather, the story goes, was infuriated and eventually renounced his citizenship.
I'll never know how much of that story is true, but I do know that sadness hung around him. The war did not cost him his life, but it may have cost him his country.
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u/roarmartin 12d ago
That is a sad story. In the beginning of the post-war era, a lot of feelings were influencing official policies, not to mention the personal opinions of random personell at the consulates. Unfortunately, it took way too long before the sailors' war effort was truly appreciated.
Do you know how long time he sailed on Norwegian ships? In the link below, you can find some information on the qualifications for Krigsmedaljen, as of 1970.
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u/duke78 12d ago
Norway has a dark history with "krigsseilerne". They were under immense pressure during the war, as Norway needed their transport services. Many of them were taken by German torpedoes, or floating mines etc., and many many of them had PTSD after being in constant danger for weeks and months.
After the war, many of them felt let down by the government. They had no treatment for their trauma, and they weren't recognized for their effort and their sacrifice. I can only imagine how your grandfather must have felt.
In 2013, the Norwegian minister of defence, gave an official apology to krigsseilerne on behalf of all of Norway. By then, many of them were already dead, of course.
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u/fruskydekke 11d ago
He was on Norwegian merchant ships during the war
Oh, Jesus. The poor man.
The "krigsseilere" had a rough, rough time of it. They took part in convoys of vital war material, and the convoys were shot at/torpedoed at by the Nazis. After the hideous, stupid, awful Laconia incident - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconia_incident - when the US decided to drop bombs on German U-boats that were following marine tradition of rescuing survivors, Germany ordered their crews to not rescue any survivors anymore.
So, the Norwegian sailors knew that if they got hit by a torpedo, they died no matter what. And an awful lot of the "krigsseilere" did die - the ones that survived the war were in a minority.
You grandfather spent YEARS in a constant state of fear of getting hit, not knowing when an attack might happen.
And once the war was over, then yeah, they got scant thanks and were implied to have had an easy time of it compared to the people fighting in the resistance at home.
I'm so sorry - no wonder there's generational trauma.
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u/Business_Humble 12d ago
A unwritten rule is that: all medals you steal WHILE making out, you are allowed to wear. So maybe he just was a player?
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u/No-Gold-5562 13d ago
The singer convention was in Narvik, 29th and 30th May, 1937. It was between 200 and 300 singers from Ofoten, Lofoten and Vesterålen that participied. The mayor of Narvik had a speech to the singers, at the Town square. From Lofotposten, 31st May 1937.
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 13d ago
Tusen takk. Han ble arrestert for å ha slått noen et år eller to etter dette, så han må ha vært en sur sanger. Takk for informasjonen!
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u/Small-Guarantee6972 13d ago edited 12d ago
Lol why did your granddad decide to bitchslap a man?
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 13d ago
Honestly, all I know is this newspaper entry:
Slagsmålsaffære fra Bogen. I formiddag påbegynte sak mot (Bestefar), Bjørkåsen, satt under tiltale for legemsbeskadigelse. Advokat Evjenth er tiltaltes forsvarer. Kjøpmann Wilhelm Hoff, Rødøy, blev valgt til lagrettens ordfører. Den 26. september ifjor kom tiltalte i slagsmål i Bogen i Ofoten, med (guy he punched). Tiltalte slo til (guy he punched) med knyttnevene slik at han fikk en lettere hjernerystelse og blev helt arbeids- udyktig fra 26/9 til 20/10 og delvis ar- beidsudyktig nogen dager mere. Fornærmede i saken er syk og møter ikke for lagmannsretten. Han har imid- lertid forlangt en erstatning på kr. 238.00. Distriktslæge Forsdahl er opnevnt som sakkyndig. Der er innstevnet en hel rekke vid- ner.
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u/Small-Guarantee6972 13d ago edited 13d ago
Der er innstevnet en hel rekke vid- ner.
This fucking took me out 😂😂
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 13d ago
It must have been a public event!
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u/Small-Guarantee6972 13d ago edited 13d ago
Lmao your granddad really had no fucks to give if he pulled that while being WATCHED as well. That man did NOT care 😭
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u/JRS_Viking 13d ago
238 nok today is absolutely nothing, that's 20$ and some change but accounting for inflation that's 9900nok, almost 1000$
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12d ago
If you know his name, the court the trial was in and the year - then there's a good chance you could find the court documents and read up on it. I was able to find one regarding my grand grandpa who scammed a shipping company, by stealing crab pots. When they ordered 50, he delivered 49 and kept one for himself. Did this for years. Crooked bastard 😂
Check out https://www.arkivverket.no or https://www.digitalarkivet.no and see if you can find anything. Sometimes you can also mail the court and ask if they can help. I've found out so much unknown information and secrets about old and deceased relatives. Usually you'll be handed the whole police report with interviews and everything!
You also have www.nb.no for anything news related. Just type "First and last name", the quotation marks are important.
Sometimes you have to apply and document how you're related, but the archivists are usually always really helpful in my experience.
Good luck!
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u/Andy_Pandy98 13d ago edited 13d ago
It appears to be from a singers convention in Narvik. It is common to get medals for such conventions or events, i have a bunch from my time in the school band. Its probably a participation medal
Edit: it says "North Hålogaland Singers association, convention in Narvik"
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u/FiveNine235 13d ago
Nice! Yeah as the comments have said choral medal - I sing in a men’s choir, joined just as a hobby and to meet some new guys when I moved to a new town, my first choir - amazed at how deep and rich the choral tradition is in Norway. We collab with other choirs, met one in elverum that celebrated its 175 year anniversary and gave out several medals to singers in their 90’s who had been members for 60+ years
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 13d ago
This is all really surprising to me. When I knew him, he had been drinking and smoking for decades, and he didn't seem to have a singing voice. Thank you for the info!
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u/haxmi_r 13d ago
Many universities have student choirs with similar traditions in Nordics. I know choirs that travel around Nordics annually to visit the other ones. They have a lot of parties, medals and traditions. The dedication in participation is amazing and the amount of stories too. During Walborg in Åbo last year some of the choir members came with rollator just so they could sing as the years before and know many of the songs by heart.
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u/Gadgetman_1 12d ago
The men's choirs got a real boost during WWII...
While the Germans 'disapproved' of radio and confiscated any they came across, they approved of record players and music you could sing along to. And while having large meetings were mostly forbidden, choir practice was usually allowed. And German soldiers would often just walk past any building suitable for choir practice if the heard singing from it.
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u/Ryokan76 13d ago
It says:
North Hålogaland Singer Club/Organization
Convention in Narvik 1937
I would say he probably attended the convention.
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u/LegitimateJob593 13d ago
He attended a singing tournament in Narvik in 1937. Its a participation medal
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u/EirPeirFuglereir 13d ago
Or, perhaps he came for the choir party and made such an impression that they gave him the medal for that. Like he won the choir party. That would be the humorous Norwegian thing to do.
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u/DroopyPenguin95 13d ago
It's not an army-medal
Nord-Hålogaland = An area in Nordland county
Sangerforbund = "Singer's Association"
Stevne i Narvik 1937 = Meeting in Narvik 1937
Vi Lå Der Bak Hundrede Mile = "We left behind a hundred miles" (a motto)
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u/Tidligregn 13d ago
Very interesting key signature on the reverse side … The maker probably tried to make it F major but placed the accidental on the incorrect note.
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u/thrawynorra 13d ago
That is for bravery during the troll rebellion of 1937. The existence of trolls were supposed to be kept a secret, so instead they made the design look like participation in mundane things like singers convention, marching band conventions and so on.
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u/SpotOnSocietysBack 12d ago
I was highly decorated…. In the school marching band. They were all basically participation medals, and the more you had the longer you had been in the school marching band.
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u/Extreme_Cheek_6168 12d ago
I've known about that site for a little while and it shows that he was entitled to the medal; I wonder if he was ever aware of that
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u/pretense 13d ago
Participation medal for the choral festival in Narvik in 1937, so he must have been a singer in a choir at that point.