Historian
NIELS-BIRGER DANIELSEN
wrote an article, here translated by Anders Straarup, published in
Jyllands-Posten on 16 March
2016, see pdf-link above.
The
Occupation is the El Dorado of amateur historians Caption
of the photo: German troops parade for their Commander-in-Chief in
Fælledparken on a Sunday in the summer of 1940. Photo: Holger
Damgaard/Polfoto
Many very different people contribute to the
exploration of the period of occupation with new views and subject matters very
often worth reading, historian John T. Lauridsen states. However, he has
a couple of reservations about the contributions of amateur historians to
history-writing.
In one respect historian
John T.
Lauridsen accepted new circumstances when in the 1990's he embarked
on
the period of the occupation as his field of work. Till then he had
particularly worked with the 1600's - the time of King
Christian IV and King
Frederik III.
"That is an area where professional historians have been fairly
predominant, even if it
must be remembered that amateur historians to some extent produce publications of local history and contributions to yearbooks, also
about the 1600's", states John T. Lauridsen, Head of Research of
The Royal Library of
Denmark.
On the contrary professional historians have never been
alone about
the
period of the occupation. Since 1945 doctors, lawyers, reporters,
teachers, officers, and others have had the epoch-making years from 1940
to 1945 as a serious hobby. This has led to comprehensive websites, lots of
forums of debate, and a flood of books.
"The works of amateur
historians fill a gap and often they have new views of areas not yet
cultivated by historians. I myself buy publications made by professional
as well as amateur historians. Depending on the individual works
each of them might prove valuable," John T. Lauridsen thinks.
Among the amateurs there are scientifically educated people of other
professions. Chief surgeon
Jørgen
Røjel and chief surgeon
Jørgen Kieler, veterans of the
Holger Danske, have both written prominent books about their own
group of resistance.
"In Jørgen Kieler's work we see an endevour to go
to the sources, but first of all it's an account of a former member of the resistance. Jørgen Røjel is the activist
who scoffs at all kinds of
passive resistance. They are worth reading - and they are important
voices," John T. Lauridsen states. In contrast, we find
Peter Birkelund who with his works about Holger Danske is the
professional historian with a more systematic approach to the subject
matter, and
he views it at a distance in order to draw weighty conclusions about
e.g. the recruiting of
the organization and the importance of the actions."
A window to the mood
"Niels
Gyrsting's starting-point is his work as a collector. He has
published a book about propaganda on poster stamps and beyond that he has
procured many accounts from members of the resistance," says Lauridsen.
On the whole, memories are a substantial part of literature. "Mostly they are patriotic in
their approach and often worth reading. Their value is that they give
the reader the opportunity to relive the commitment. You cannot
re-create that," he points out. "I remember a late colleague who was
a former member of the resistance. When I asked him of his opinion on
an article I had written about "portraits of freedom fighters", his
comment was, "You write very well - but you are unable to express the
mood of that time."
A fly in the ointment in exciting
books In some cases the Head
of Research would like a better professional quality. For instance, his
scepticism is aiming at a number of policemen who as amateurs have published a
number of historical books about German terror, certain members of the
Schalburg Corps, or criminal activity during the occupation.
"The
books are exciting. The fly in the ointment is that they may obstruct projects on a more professional level. Who would like to
write a scientific book about
K.B. Martinsen, the
commander of the
Schalburg Corps, when a biography about him written by an amateur is
still selling well?" John T. Lauridsen asks.
With museum as
backstop The internet has growing importance. In that field an
amateur historian has received acknowledgement of the value of his work.
A
couple of years ago Anders Straarup, a retired teacher, contacted
The Museum of Danish Resistance to discuss how his website
www.airmen.dk about allied airmen
shot down over Denmark could be preserved for posterity after his death.
According to Curator Henrik Lundbak, Head of the Museum of Danish
Resistance, it appeared that no other institutions undertake to
preserve websites.
"Out of common sense we agreed to
preserve Anders Straarup's website in the future, as it is a pity if this
information gets lost. It is on an ad-hoc basis, as we have neither the
system nor the obligation to be in charge of the preservation of
websites." Straarup's approach was motivated by the loss of "Lost
Bombers" - a valuable site about perished crews of bombers
that disappeared after the death of the originator.
One of the 5
portraits of amateur historians in the article is this: Puts planes
and airmen on the map
Early on,
Anders Straarup began
to work with computers, when he worked as a teacher and a guidance
teacher at Havndal School near Randers. He benefits greatly from
that now that he cultivates his passion for the period of occupation
during his retirement. 72-year-old Straarup has built the website
www.airmen.dk where he has registered
accessible information about more than 3,000 allied airmen who were shot
down over Denmark or Danish waters. 1,030 of them are buried in Denmark,
and their graves can be found via the website that also has many visits
from abroad.
Among the results of Anders Straarup's work is a
memorial stone in Grønhøj
near Karup to a crew
that crashed there. Among the about 250 attendants at the unveiling
in May 2013 there were relatives from England and Scotland who until then did
not know for certain the fate of the member of their family. |