Karl Gustaf Emanuel Nilsson (1921 - 1942)

Born 25 Sep 1921 in Tuna, Kalmar, Sverige

Died 10 Jul 1942 at age 20 in Tuna, Kalmar, Sverige

Biography

Karl Nilsson was born on September 25, 1921 in Tuna in Småland, Sweden according to Krigsseilerregisteret (see link below).

Found him in Swedish records. His full name was Karl Gustaf Emanuel Nilsson. He was the son of shoemaker/skomakare Albert Emanuel Nilsson and his wife Augusta Olivia Bergvall. He is noted as seaman and to have passed away on July 10, 1942.^[1]

The Swedish parish death record says that he drowned during transport between Rabaul and Papua and "notified of his death by the Swedish Red Cross on December 14, 1945": Meddelande om dödsfallet från Sv. Röda Korset 14/12 45, transport between Rabaul and Papua.^[2]

Karl was born about 1922 in Sweden. He was the Mess Boy on the Norwegian registered freighter which was bombed by the Japanese and sunk in Rabaul Harbour, New Guinea in Jan 1942. He was captured and interned as a civilian prisoner. Although neither Sweden nor Norway were combatants with Japan during the War, the crew of the "Herstein" were treated as hostile, probably because they had defended the "Herstein" with deck guns during the bombing.

He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of the Philippines on 01 Jul 1942, en route from Rabaul to Hainan, where he was destined for forced labour.

Not much is known about Karl, other than that he was a member of the crew. With no known relatives, there was no death form registered. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Albert Emanuel Nilsson household in Lidhem 1936-1947. Parish book: Tuna (H) AIIa:9 (1936-1947) Bild 2890 / sid 256 (AID: v237281.b2890.s256, NAD: SE/VALA/00389) http://www.arkivdigital.se/aid/show/v237281.b2890.s256
2. ↑ Karl Gustaf Emanuel Nilsson death record 1942 nr 23: Tuna kyrkoarkiv, Död- och begravningsböcker, SE/VALA/00389/F/1 (1918-1943), bildid: 80007435_00111, sida 96 https://sok.riksarkivet.se/bildvisning/80007435_00111 (free)
3. ↑ SDB Sveriges dödbok

   Nilsson, Karl Gustav Emanuel

   Lidhem, Hökfors 1:4

   Död 10/7 1942.

   Kyrkobokförd i Tuna (Kalmar län, Småland).

   Född 25/9 1921 i Tuna (Kalmar län, Småland).

   Ogift man.

   Motsvarande folkbokföringsförsamling(ar) 1/1 2020:

   Tuna, Vimmerby kn (Kalmar län, Småland)

   Källor:

   DB, FS (sida: 256)

   Post-ID:

   SDB7_11125829

• "Herstein" crew - http://www.warsailors.com/POWs/pows2.html#herstein

• Death - National Archives of Australia - http://montevideomaru.naa.gov.au/pows-internees/index.aspx?id=5459

• Krigsseilerregisteret - https://www.krigsseilerregisteret.no/en/sjofolk/229171/