Harald Christensen (resistance member)

Harald Christensen (28 May 1915 – 27 February 1945) was a member of the Danish resistance executed by the German occupying power.

For other people named Harald Christensen, see Harald Christensen (disambiguation).

Harald Christensen
Born(1915-05-28)28 May 1915[1][2][3][4]
Vestergade 29, Fåborg[1]
Died27 February 1945(1945-02-27) (aged 29)[3][4][5]
Cause of deathExecution by firing squad[3]
Resting placeRyvangen Memorial Park[3] (until 1950)[4]
OccupationAuto mechanic[3]
Known forExecuted as member of the Danish resistance movement[3][5]
Parent(s)Niels Christensen and Maren Christine née Madsen[1][2]
Website"Modstandsdatabasen" [Resistance Database]. Harald Christensen (in Danish). Copenhagen: Nationalmuseet. Retrieved 28 May 2015.

Biography

Harald Christensen was born in Faaborg 28 May 1915 as the eighth child of factory worker Niels Christensen and wife Maren Christine née Madsen[2] and baptized in Faaborg church the seventh Sunday after Trinity.[1]

In 1916 Christensen was living with his parents and siblings in Vestergade 29, Fåborg with his father supporting the family as a worker at Fåborg's wood wool factory with a permanently injured knee.[2]

On 27 February 1945 Christensen and nine other resistance members were executed[5] in Ryvangen.[3]

After his death

On 30 June 1945 at Vestre Kirkegaard a memorial service was held for him,[3] as well as for the killed member of the resistance Estvan Svend Aage Wehlast.[6]

On 29 August Christensen and 105 other victims of the occupation were given a state funeral in the memorial park founded at the execution and burial site in Ryvangen where he was executed. Bishop Hans Fuglsang-Damgaard led the service with participation from the royal family, the government and representatives of the resistance movement.[3][7]

In 1950 his remains were moved, prior to the official inauguration of the Ryvangen Memorial Park on 5 May 1950.[4][7] Remarkably, a second resistance member to also be removed from the memorial park was the above-mentioned Estvan Svend Aage Wehlast.

The official list of resistance members buried in Ryvangen does not include Christensen, nor Wehlast.[8]

References
  1. "Fødte Mandkøn" [Born Males]. Kirkebog [Parish Register]. 1909-1917 (in Danish). Fåborg. 1915. p. 63.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Folketælling [Census] (in Danish). Fåborg. 1 February 1916. Vestergade 29.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. "Døde Mandkøn" [Deceased Males]. Kirkebog [Parish Register]. 1941-1966 (in Danish). Vigerslev Sogn. 1945. p. 36. 20. Død 1945 27 Februar Ryvangen. Ingen Skifteretsattest da Jordpaakastelse skal foretages senere. Jordpaakastelse af Biskop Fuglsang Damgaard. 1945 30 Juni Bisættelse (u. Jordpaakastel.) Vestre Kirkegaard Begravet i Ryvangen 1945 - 29 August. Automekaniker{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. "Modstandsdatabasen" [Resistance Database]. Harald Christensen (in Danish). Copenhagen: Nationalmuseet. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  5. "Kampen og dens Ofre" [The fight and its victims]. Frit Danmark (in Danish). 1 March 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 19 December 2014. Og som en blodig Afslutning paa Februar Maaned, der har kostet Danmark saa mange Ofre, kommer Meddelelsen om, at Tyskerne paa den næstsidste Dag i Maaneden har henrettet 10 danske Patrioter: Erik Crone, Einar Aksel Larsen, Svend Glendau, Karl Gustav Stricker, Poul Madsen, Karl Børge Sørensen, Preben Richard Christensen, Andreas Bronislaw Wadekoloff Nielsen, Preben Gylche og Harald Christensen. Det var unge Mennesker allesammen - fra 18 til 29 Aar - som har ydet en værdifuld Indsats i den aktive Frihedskamp. Deres Minde vil leve blandt os - de har givet deres Liv for Danmarks Frihed.
  6. "Døde Mandkøn" [Deceased Males]. Kirkebog [Parish Register]. 1943-1953 (in Danish). Husum Sogn. 1945. p. 34. 31. Død 1945 9de Februar Smørumvej 60. 1945 30te Juni Jordpaakastelse paa Vest. Kgd. Ndr. Kapel Senere flyttes til Ryparken: 29/8-1945. begr. paa Begravelsespladsen v. Ryparken 29-8-1945 ifgl. medd. fra Begrv. ug. Jord- og Betonarb., 28 Aar{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. "Historie - Mindelunden Ryvangen" [History - Ryvangen Memorial Park] (in Danish). Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  8. "Det store Gravfelt - Mindelunden Ryvangen" [The large Grave field - Ryvangen Memorial Park] (in Danish). Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.


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