The Chronicle January 2020

30 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

100th birthday celebrations do not come around very often and invitations to share in the event are even fewer and so it took but a few milliseconds to process and accept the opportunity to travel to Norway for Teddy’s party in November. His local Hall was quickly filled with over 80 friends, family and fans representing the most recent 80 years of his amazing life. Our host and master of ceremonies, Teddy’s son Thor, kept the non-Norwegian speakers – French, Canadian and Swedish joining the English (and Welsh) – up to speed with those who were sharing memories for what Teddy had done with or for them. The birthday boy was treated to treasured memories in song by his five grandchildren accompanied on piano by one of his former students. Further contributions came from members Celebrating a Century By John Wiggins, Honorary Secretary to the St Edward’s School Society Theodor’s two years in the camp were a horrendous experience with survival never guaranteed. However, the warped ideas of the Nazis meant that prisoners who were not Jews, Russians or Gypsies were treated slightly better and Scandinavians, with their blond hair and ‘Aryan’ appearance, received relatively sympathetic treatment. As the Cert ‘A’ papers to the British Embassy with a view to joining the British Forces – to his surprise he was treated roughly and impolitely and ushered out, told that they had no time to speak to foreigners. There was little option but to join the local resistance, no easy task with the Gestapo ever-vigilant. Eventually the resistance grew, partially organised from Britain. Theodor, then a student at Oslo University, became very active and eventually was arrested for handing out leaflets and distributing ‘illegal’ newspapers resulting in two very unpleasant interrogations by the Gestapo. The outcome was that he was judged ‘Deutschfeindlich’ (enemy of Germany) and sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp.

end of the war approached, Theodor and his compatriots were set to work in the railway yards, under constant bombing raids (American by day and RAF by night), to clear the rubble and to dig trenches and tank traps against the approaching Allied forces. Many of the Scandinavians survived Buchenwald, only to be killed by this bombing late in 1945. Salvation came in April/May 1945 when the Swedish Red Cross negotiated for their release and hospitalisation. After the War, Theodor’s early lack of education was completely reversed as he spent 35 years teaching: in Norway, Canada and the USA, before returning to Oslo as a lecturer at the British Institute in the University from 1966-71 and eventually becoming Headmaster (or Rektor) at Hamar Katedralskole. His younger brother Jan followed him to St Edward’s from 1934- 39 and his son Thor from 1975-6. He is amongst the most loyal and committed OSE attending as many functions as he can despite the long distance between Oslo and Oxford. of Teddy's Scout troop dating back to the 1950s who recounted expeditions in the snow and ice, learning survival skills, sleeping in snow caves and making extensive use of reindeer hides. The presence of us, the Teddies contingent, meant more to Teddy than we might have imagined and the Warden was able to explain to a well-educated, English-speaking audience about his time at St Edward's before the war

Read more about Teddy’s experiences at Buchenwald in Chronicle No. 662 (page 52) by searching the Digital Archive under the About, Archive tabs on the website.

and the influence of Warden Kendall – something about which Teddy spoke in his introductory words. It is hard to imagine surviving for the full century though Teddy helped us by using the analogy of a cricket innings when playing for the Teddies 2nd XI and the struggle to get through the ‘nervous-nineties’. He was, and is, an inspiration to so many and continues to display immense modesty, humour and optimism.

Charles Cooper OSE, John Wiggins, Teddy Abrahamsen OSE and the Warden