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Paper short abstract:

Sweden kept neutral during WWII, but merchant sailors yet lived a perilous life. When a mine barrage was laid out in the Skagerack in 1940, many Swedish sailors couldn’t return. In my paper I discuss the funerary rituals practiced by Swedish sailors abroad during WWII, as described in death notices.

Paper long abstract:

Sweden famously held a neutral stance during WWII, but merchant sailors at sea were still affected by military action. In 1940, Germany placed a mine barrage in the Skagerack, inhibiting Swedes at sea to return home. In addition to the perils of war, the working environment for a sailor was already dangerous, with frequent accidents as well as attacks. In this paper I discuss the practices performed at the funerals of Swedish sailors during WWII, as described in notices of death published in Ute och Hemma (Home and Away) – a periodical aimed towards Swedes abroad as well as their loved ones back at home.

The familiar played an important part in the notices of death. The meaning of Sweden, and being Swedish, became central. At the same time, the community and comradery created at sea between sailors of different nationalities was frequently expressed as well. In the notices of death – often written by the priest who conducted the funeral, and implicitly aimed towards the loved ones at home – the meaning of the substitute becomes apparent. Comrades and colleagues attend the funeral in lieu of family. They wanted to honor a fellow sailor, if they actually knew the deceased was of secondary importance. Sailors from other vessels attended funeral ceremonies for seamen, their presence both substituted the ones at home, and honored the solidarity of the community. These texts hence set out to reassure the family that the sailor wasn’t alone, neither in life nor in death.