Memorial to Swedish fishermen unveiled in Shetland

Memorial to Swedish fishermen unveiled in Shetland

Sven H Gullman spent two weeks in June 1999 in Shetland to search for memories from the Swedish church in Baltasound and also from Bohuslän fisheries (Bohuslän is a province in the west of Sweden) during the second half of the 19th century. Here he gives a report about the inauguration of a memorial to the Swedish period in Shetland.

Fishermen from Bohuslän caught ling during many years on the sandbanks off the Shetland Islands. When the boats had returned home the lings were hung to dry to become stockfish at Christmas-time. The period of greatness lasted from the end of the 19th century until some ten years after the end of the second world war. At that time the fishing industry was flourishing also in the coast villages in Bohuslän. Before the beginning of the 20th century the boats were comparatively small sailing boats, much exposed to the storms on the Atlantic.

When the inventor Lars Laurin had constructed the Skandia engine, which was made in Lysekil (a small town in Bohuslän), where the Skandia works became one of this town's leading industries, conditions for the Shetland fishing changed. About the same time a new boat model was introduced – the English cutters. They were bought mainly from Grimsby and Lowestoft on the English east coast. The motorized cutter could make as many as three fishing tours in the summers to the fishing banks.

19th of August 2000 a red-letter day in Baltasound

On Saturday the 19th of August a memorial to the Bohuslän fishermen was unveiled in Baltasound on Unst, the smallest of the Shetland Islands. In the ceremony several Swedes took part, among others four persons connected with the museum of Bohuslän in Uddevalla headed by the manager of the museum Hans Manneby and his predecessor Carl Cullberg. The Swedish West- coast Fishermen's Association – ´Svenska Västkustfiskarnas Centralförbund´ was

represented by their president Wilhelm Alexandersson and Klas Berntsson from Grundsund, member of the board, a ling fisher himself at the Shetland Islands. From Lerwik came Tommy Watt, head of a museum. On his home ground in Baltasound was Duncan Sandison, one of the British Queen's four "lieutenants of Shetland", and the publicist Elisabeth Nicolson, special correspondent for the Shetland Times in Lerwik.

The memorial before being unveiled. In the background the Baltasound Bay, well-known view for many deep-sea fishers from Bohuslän

The weather conditions in Shetland change fast. People say that it either blows or rains and sometimes it both rains and blows. But then the sun comes out for a while.

The past spring and summer have been chilly so everyone was pleasantly surprised at the fine weather on the 19th of August. The sun shone from a clear blue sky the whole day.

The Swedish delegation at the Memorial

From the left Hans Manneby, head of the Bohuslän Museum in Uddevalla, Wilhelm Alexandersson, Öckerö, chairman of the Swedish West coast Fishermen's Association, Carl Cullberg, Uddevalla, former head of Museum, Klas Berntsson, Grundsund, member of the board of the Fishermen's Association and the last Bohuslän ling fisherman at the Shetlands, Gunnar af Geijerstam, Uddevalla, member of the board of the Bohuslän Museum, and Inga Göransson, chairman of the same board.

The memorial stone, made of granite from Bohuslän, has inscriptions in both Swedish and English. It has been erected near the place where the Swedish church was situated.

Already in 1901 a Swedish clergyman was at the place to hold services and as the number of fishermen grew every summer, they began to plan for a church of their own. It was consecrated in Baltasound in 1910 and served its purpose until 1961.

Every year – except during the war – a clergyman from Sweden held services during three summer months. Hundreds of fishermen could be present when their boats came in in bad weather. The classic home ports were Grundsund, Käringön, Hälleviksstrand, Klädesholmen, Edshultshall, Mollösund, Skärhamn and Dyrön.

From church to ball-room…

The Swedish church – or the Swedish Kirk as it was called – this name is still used in Baltasound, not "church", gradually got other tasks. It was sold to a free communion and the building served as a ball-room for folk-dance. During the second world war the British navy took over the building and let it become a ball-room for their staff and girls from the area.

By the way, The Sunderland family were neighbours to the church. The daughter Lexie, later married McMeechan, still lives in her parents´ house. She has clear memories of the "Swedish time". Often fishermen came up to the farm and exchanged fish for eggs and milk. Mrs McMeechan tells that at the age of twenty she often came in and danced with British soldiers in the Swedish church building.

…and boat-house

After the second world war the clergymen came back from Sweden and the house became a church again. But another degradation was waiting. The last years the building served as boat-house and it was as such it met its fate in a dramatic way. New Year's night 1992 there was a hurricane. When day was dawning and the wind had calmed down

an unimaginable devastation could be seen in Baltasound. Houses, cars and boats were destroyed or badly damaged and roofs had blown away. The building that had been a Swedish church for 50 years had been lifted up into the air by a gust and was wrecked at the crash.

The last organist of the Swedish church has clear memories of the Swedes

In Uyeasound on Unst lives an old lady, Jemima Sunderland, 95 years old, whom old Bohuslän fishermen have got into contact with. They also remember her. She was a nurse with the legendary Dr T. E. Saxby in Baltasound ((1869 – 1952), a doctor whom many Swedes had to see for injuries during the fishing. He was rewarded with high Swedish distinctions,

both the Vasa- and Nordstjärne- decorations. Miss Sutherland also worked as an organist in the Swedish church for many years up to 1961. When the activities closed down she bought the organ, which is in her home since then, but according to what she says, it can no longer be played.

Miss Jemima Sutherland, born 1905, Organist in the Swedish church in Baltasound

Miss Sunderland tells:

"I had the privilege of working with Dr Saxby the last 10 years of his service; he was in full activity up to three years before his death. He was a warm person whom everybody had confidence in .He became Medical Officer for Unst already in 1898 and came to take a special interest in the deep sea fishermen from Bohuslän. When the ecclesiastical activities ceased during the second world war, he took care of the church effects

and kept them at his place. He is said to have dug down the box with the sacramental silver in his garden not to let it fall into the wrong hands. People feared a German invasion in the Shetlands. How did I become an organist then? Well, it was the daughter of the house, Lorna Saxby, who persuaded me. I never regretted it. I was so pleased to play Sunday after Sunday from the Swedish Hymnal and sing hymns in Swedish."

Lorna Saxby stayed in Baltasound and died in 1994, 91 years old. The Shetland people seem to be a tough race; could that be due to their Viking blood?

A memorial to remind of Bohuslän

[Bild på minnesstenen]

The memorial shows a picture of a fishing boat and under it the following text can be read:

IN MEMORY OF

THE SWEDISH FISHERMEN

WHO DURING 100 YEARS VISITED BALTASOUND

AND ERECTED THE FIRST FISHER CHURCH

IN FOREIGN COUNTRY 1910

THE MUSEUM OF BOHUSLÄN

THE ECCLESIASTICAL BUILDINGS FOUNDATION

THE SWEDISH WEST-COAST FISHERMEN'S CENTRAL ASSOCIATION

The photos are taken by the publicist Elisabeth Nicolson in Baltasound, sent to the ceremony by the Shetland Times in Lerwick as a special correspondent.