Rolf Wickstrøm
Encyclopedia
Rolf Wickstrøm was a Norwegian
labour activist and a victim of the German occupation of Norway during World War II
.
, Norway. Wickstrøm grew up in a working class family. In 1935 he was hired as a welder on the rapidly expanding Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk
, the Skabo Rail Coach Factory. Dating from January 1940, he was labour representative and shop stewart at Skabo. He was arrested at Møllergata 19
in Oslo from 2 May to 26 May 1941.
Wickstrøm was executed on September 10, 1941, during the state of martial law
which followed the so-called milk strike
(Melkestreiken), together with the labour lawyer Viggo Hansteen
. The reason for the strike was that food supplies had become increasingly worse by September 1941. These two were the first labour representatives to be executed during the German occupation, and as such gained a great symbolic value for the continued resistance. Wickstrøm left behind his wife Signe (1913-1996) and son Tore (born 1938). After the war, Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were buried in Vår Frelsers gravlund
.
Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were honored by the naming of a section of road around Oslo which bears their names. In 1948, a memorial was erected in granite with bronze relief at the site of execution at Årvoll
in the Bjerke
district of Oslo
. The memorial was directed by Norwegian sculptor Nic Schiøll (1901–1984). It bears the following:
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
labour activist and a victim of the German occupation of Norway during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
Rolf Wickstrøm was born in OsloOslo
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...
, Norway. Wickstrøm grew up in a working class family. In 1935 he was hired as a welder on the rapidly expanding Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk
Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk
Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk was a mechanical workshop focusing on design and construction of railcars. It was established by Hans Skabo in Drammen, Norway in 1864; it became the first rail car factory in the country when it took delivery of the cars for Kongsvingerbanen...
, the Skabo Rail Coach Factory. Dating from January 1940, he was labour representative and shop stewart at Skabo. He was arrested at 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...
in Oslo from 2 May to 26 May 1941.
Wickstrøm was executed on September 10, 1941, during the state of martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
which followed the so-called milk strike
Milk strike
The milk strike was a strike in Nazi occupied Oslo on 8 and 9 September 1941. It led to strong reprisals from the German occupiers, in the form of martial law, court-martial, mass arrests, two executions and several long-term jail sentences.-Start:...
(Melkestreiken), together with the labour lawyer Viggo Hansteen
Viggo Hansteen
Harald Viggo Hansteen was a Norwegian lawyer who was executed by the Nazis during the five-year Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. -Biography:...
. The reason for the strike was that food supplies had become increasingly worse by September 1941. These two were the first labour representatives to be executed during the German occupation, and as such gained a great symbolic value for the continued resistance. Wickstrøm left behind his wife Signe (1913-1996) and son Tore (born 1938). After the war, Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were buried in Vår Frelsers gravlund
Vår Frelsers gravlund
Vår Frelsers gravlund is a cemetery in Oslo, Norway, located north of Hammersborg in Gamle Aker district. It was created in 1808 as a result of the great famine and cholera epidemic of the Napoleonic Wars. Its grounds were extended in 1911. The cemetery has been full since 1952...
.
Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were honored by the naming of a section of road around Oslo which bears their names. In 1948, a memorial was erected in granite with bronze relief at the site of execution at Årvoll
Årvoll
Årvoll is a residential community located in the Bjerke district of Oslo, Norway. The community is named for the historic Årvoll Gård , which still stands in the center of the community. This is also where anti-Nazi activists Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm were executed by the Germans on...
in the Bjerke
Bjerke
Bjerke is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.The most densely populated residential areas are located along the Trondheimsveien, including the high-rise apartment blocks of Linderud. The shopping centre at Linderud is also home to the borough council's administration. The northern areas of the...
district of Oslo
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...
. The memorial was directed by Norwegian sculptor Nic Schiøll (1901–1984). It bears the following:
Other sources
- Berntsen, HaraldHarald BerntsenHarald Berntsen is a national historian and is active in the radical left in Norway.- Background, upbringing and work :...
(1995) To liv - én skjebne: Viggo Hansteen og Rolf Wickstrøm (Oslo: Aschehoug) ISBN 82-03-26002-0