Historical Standard                       Text and photo from Poul Vester        På dansk             Updated:  29 MAY 2013

Poul Vester, who recruits new members of HVK Kongenshus, had been promised standards for the unveiling of the Memorial stone to the airmen of
LAN R5679. Major Peder Korshøj was the leader at the ceremony.

There were 27 standards from the Danish Home Guard, societies of old soldiers
in Viborg and others. Poul Vester wrote about this one:
 

Historical standard to be shown at the unveiling ceremony on 25 May.

By Poul Vester, 20 APR 2013

A very special standard will be shown at the unveiling ceremony at
14.00 on 25 May in Grønhøj. During the occupation of Denmark this standard was made of parachutes dropped over the Aulum area.
Normally the standard is kept in the archive of Ikast.

We found it appropriate to bring this special standard to the unveiling ceremony
of the memorial stone to 7 airmen shot down near Grønhøj.
The standard was made in utmost secrecy of parachutes of different colours
(that explains the pale red colour) by wives of members of the resistance movement in Aulum.
It was meant to be used for the first time at the liberation, and so it happened.


From Christian Holt, former Company Commander in Aulum and historian Jens Vind:

From Christian Holt who bears the standard on this day:

Originally the standard was created during the war by local people around the resistance group in Aulum of which some of the prominent names were
Veterinary Surgeon Andersen and Vicar Bønding. The standard was made of fabric from one of the airdrops for the resistance group in Aulum.

The standard was used for the first time in connection with the liberation on 5 May 1945. Since then it has followed first the Home Guard Society and later
the local Home Guard in Aulum. The standard may appear a little pale compared to the standards we see today - not because it has faded but because the
parachutes used for airdrops had that colour.

From historian Jens Vind:
It was made of fabric from parachutes by the group in Aulum that received weapons. That is why it does not have the right red colour, and it never had.
It is related that it was used for the first time when teacher Hakon Petersen-Brønding was buried. His father, Vicar Gustav Petersen-Brønding, ended up
being the first Company Commander in the Aulum Company, then HJVK 2108.

Hakon was born on 28 March 1914 and he was a member of the resistance group. He was killed on 3 May 1945 by an accidental shot when weapons were
made ready for use. A doctor was called and the cause of death was reported as a heart attack so that the occupying forces should have no idea of
what was going on. A wooden cross was placed on Hakon's grave, quite normal at the time. Later that cross has been replaced by a granite stone.
Today the wooden cross can be seen in the Holstebro Museum at the stairs to the basement where many of the weapons collected by Fondager are on display.


The first time I saw the standard shown was in the City Hall Basement in Ikast at the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Danish Home Guard. Later the standard was used by the Home Guard Company till the Home Guard no longer had a domicile in Aulum. Today it is kept in one of the historical archives of the district.