War, preparedness and displacement are phenomena that we in our country have not had to think much about for many years, let alone experience at home. But with the war in Ukraine and the increased security threat, thoughts of what a war could mean have crept closer.
Our archives contain stories and testimonies from the Second World War that tell of the great mobilization of society that the war entailed. Even though we in Sweden did not take part in the war, our neighboring countries and not least Finland were in great need of our help.
Anna Sténs and Karin Holmgren from the People's Movement Archive in Västerbotten show examples and talk about how the war affected everyday life in Västerbotten. In Sorsele, Åsele, Nordmaling and many other places around the county, people prepared to receive the large influx of refugees and put themselves on alert in case of war. Young men from Västerbotten volunteered to fight for the Finnish cause, refugee camps and hospitals were set up to receive refugees in need of care, and numerous voluntary organizations helped to receive the approximately 56,000 Finnish refugees - women, men and children - but also cows - who crossed the border from Finland in the autumn of 1944.
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Preparation for war and beeing on the run are phenomena that we in Sweden for many years did not have to think much about and even less experience at home. But with the war in Ukraine and the increased security threat, thoughts of what a war could mean have crept closer.In our archives there are stories and testimonies from the time of the Second World War that tell about the great mobilization of society that the war entailed. Because even though we here in Sweden did not participate in the war, our neighboring countries and not least Finland were in great need of our help.
Anna Sténs and Karin Holmgren from Folkrörelsearkivet in Västerbotten show examples and talk about how the war affected everyday life in Västerbotten. In Sorsele, Åsele, Nordmaling and many more places around the county, they prepared to receive large flows of refugees and put themselves on standby in case the war came. Young men from Västerbotten signed up as volunteers to fight for Finland’s cause, refugee camps and hospitals to receive refugees in need of care were built and several voluntary organizations helped in the reception of the approx. 56,000 Finnish refugees – women, men and children – but also cows – which came across the border from Finland in the autumn of 1944.
