Uncle Albert in the Navy
Esther Westlund Title: Uncle Albert in the Navy Storyteller: Esther Westlund Language: English Date of Telling: 2016-03-29 Location of Telling: Spokane, Washington Duration of Story: 02:56 Source of Story: Family Location of Story: Sweden Subject Headings: Armed Forces Notes: |
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Uncle Albert was born into a large family, there were 11 children born, only 5 survived at that time. He was born in the mid 1800’s and their family was very, very poor. He had to go begging for food. Then he decided to go join the Swedish Navy. He thought things would improve for him. But at that time there were a lot of social status in Sweden. If you were born a peasant you will stay a peasant the rest of your life. The next step up was a bool. If a boont met a bool, the boont would have bow to the bool. This sort of thing was not Uncle Albert’s way of thinking.
So he joined the Navy and there he found the same sort of thing. There was not only social status but the military status. Anyhow, he became a sailor. On one mission some official of the Swedish Navy was angry at a seaman. He grabbed him and threw him overboard. Then he made an order, “Not one of you men go over and save that man.” Uncle Albert (he was a huge man) saw that and thought how inhumane that was, so he doubled up his fist and knocked the officer out.
He took over the ship and gave the orders, “You, you”, pointed at the sailors, “you go over there and save that man.” Which they did. While Albert stood over the old officer, with two fists ready to knock him out again if he had to. This of course was a very serious activity for Uncle Albert. He could have been shot. He would have been if the officer ever told this story.
The officer said, “I am going to bring you back to Sweden and I am going to have you shot.”
Albert said, “No you won’t.” It was strange, Uncle Albert said the men all gathered around me as if to signify, “No we are all supporting Albert, you are not going to kill him.”
So he joined the Navy and there he found the same sort of thing. There was not only social status but the military status. Anyhow, he became a sailor. On one mission some official of the Swedish Navy was angry at a seaman. He grabbed him and threw him overboard. Then he made an order, “Not one of you men go over and save that man.” Uncle Albert (he was a huge man) saw that and thought how inhumane that was, so he doubled up his fist and knocked the officer out.
He took over the ship and gave the orders, “You, you”, pointed at the sailors, “you go over there and save that man.” Which they did. While Albert stood over the old officer, with two fists ready to knock him out again if he had to. This of course was a very serious activity for Uncle Albert. He could have been shot. He would have been if the officer ever told this story.
The officer said, “I am going to bring you back to Sweden and I am going to have you shot.”
Albert said, “No you won’t.” It was strange, Uncle Albert said the men all gathered around me as if to signify, “No we are all supporting Albert, you are not going to kill him.”