Harald Slåttelid
Encyclopedia
Harald Andreas Gerotti Slåttelid (20 January 1895 – 1 March 1943) was a Norwegian trade unionist, newspaper editor and communist resistance member.
He was born in Os, Hordaland
, to a father from Volda
and a mother from Fana
. He worked in Odda, and married Sigrid Johansen from Kristiania
here in 1918. They had two children.
He was a member of the Norwegian Labour Party
from 1909, and was organized in a union from 1911. He had a modest technical education. He chaired the local trade union from 1922, and was a board member of the Norwegian Union of Electricians from 1922 to 1923. From 1923 to 1930 he was a member of the supervisory council of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
. He was a member of the executive committee of Odda municipal council for many years.
In 1923 he joined the Communist Party
. He edited the newspaper Hardanger Arbeiderblad
, and chaired the Communist Party in Odda from 1926. He continued his work for the Communist Party during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
, when the party was illegal. He was arrested by the Nazis on 26 May 1942, and imprisoned in Møllergata 19
and Grini concentration camp. He was sentenced to death in a trial on 27 February 1943, and then placed in the death cell "" at Grini.
On 1 March 1943 he was executed at Trandum
. A press release from 1 March, signed and titled "" appeared in the newspapers. Seventeen persons had been sentenced to death and executed, and Slåttelid's name was included on the list. In 1945 a total of 194 bodies were found in mass graves in the woods of Trandum, 173 Norwegians, six British and fifteen Soviet citizens.
His son Ørnulf (sometimes given as Ørnulv) Slåttelid, born 1919, became the illegal leader of the Young Communist League
after Arne Gauslaa
in 1942. He was arrested by the Nazis in the same year, and committed suicide in prison.
He was born in Os, Hordaland
Os, Hordaland
Os is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Due to its proximity to Bergen, Os is experiencing strong population growth. -History:...
, to a father from Volda
Volda
Volda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Volda. The municipality is located about south of the city of Ålesund.-General information:...
and a mother from Fana
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.-History:Prior to 1972, Fana was an independent municipality which territory also included today's boroughs of Ytrebygda, Fyllingsdalen, and the southernmost part of Årstad.-Geography:...
. He worked in Odda, and married Sigrid Johansen from Kristiania
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
here in 1918. They had two children.
He was a member of the Norwegian Labour Party
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
from 1909, and was organized in a union from 1911. He had a modest technical education. He chaired the local trade union from 1922, and was a board member of the Norwegian Union of Electricians from 1922 to 1923. From 1923 to 1930 he was a member of the supervisory council of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions
The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions is a national trade union center, decidedly the largest and probably the most influential umbrella organization of labour unions in Norway. The 21 national unions affiliated to the LO have more than 850,000 members of a Norwegian population of 4.8 million...
. He was a member of the executive committee of Odda municipal council for many years.
In 1923 he joined the Communist Party
Communist Party of Norway
The Communist Party of Norway is a political party in Norway without parliamentary representation. It was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. The party played an important role in the resistance to German occupation during the Second World War, and experienced a brief...
. He edited the newspaper Hardanger Arbeiderblad
Hardanger Arbeiderblad
Hardanger Arbeiderblad was a Norwegian newspaper, published in Odda in Hordaland county.Hardanger Arbeiderblad was started in 1919 as Hardanger Social-Demokrat. Its name was changed in 1923, the same year as a faction of the Labour Party left social democracy to form the Communist Party of Norway....
, and chaired the Communist Party in Odda from 1926. He continued his work for the Communist Party during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, when the party was illegal. He was arrested by the Nazis on 26 May 1942, and imprisoned in Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here...
and Grini concentration camp. He was sentenced to death in a trial on 27 February 1943, and then placed in the death cell "" at Grini.
On 1 March 1943 he was executed at Trandum
Trandumskogen
Trandumskogen is a forest located in Ullensaker, Akershus county, Norway. It was the site of one of the first discoveries in May 1945 of German mass graves in Norway. The German executioner Oskar Hans was the officer in command of the unit performing the executions.In total 173 Norwegians, 6...
. A press release from 1 March, signed and titled "" appeared in the newspapers. Seventeen persons had been sentenced to death and executed, and Slåttelid's name was included on the list. In 1945 a total of 194 bodies were found in mass graves in the woods of Trandum, 173 Norwegians, six British and fifteen Soviet citizens.
His son Ørnulf (sometimes given as Ørnulv) Slåttelid, born 1919, became the illegal leader of the Young Communist League
Young Communist League of Norway
Young Communist League of Norway was until April 2006 the youth league of Norges Kommunistiske Parti . April 1st 2006 NKP declared that NKU was no longer its youth organization, and that all youths interested in joining the movement should contact the party directly...
after Arne Gauslaa
Arne Gauslaa
Arne Gauslaa was a Norwegian communist, newspaper editor and resistance member.He was born in Solum, to a mother from Solum and a father from Herefoss.. His father Olav Gauslaa was a member of Solum municipal council from 1910 to 1927 and again from 1931, and had joined the Communist Party in 1923...
in 1942. He was arrested by the Nazis in the same year, and committed suicide in prison.