Harry August Vestli (10 May 1918 – 2 September 1942) was a Norwegian trade unionist who was imprisoned and died during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. Harry Vestli was born in

Sande i Vestfold Sande is a former municipality in Vestfold County, Norway. Its administrative centre is the village of Sande i Vestfold. The municipality of Sande was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Sande is located in a beautiful are ...

as the son of Petter Rikard Vestli and his Swedish wife Emma Kristine. He had three siblings. He had gone through middle school, and worked at the factory

Lilleborg Lilleborg AS is a major hygiene and Washing, cleaning article company in Norway, owned by the Orkla Group. It was established in 1833, and was one of the first companies in Norway to start manufacturing brand, brand name products. It currently o ...

, where he was the union steward. On 9 September 1941, the so-called milk strike occurred in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. The Nazi German occupants of Norway ordered a harsh crackdown on the striking workers, and martial law was declared the next day. A local union leader,

Rolf Wickstrøm Rolf Wickstrøm (9 December 1912 in Oslo, Norway – 10 September 1941) was a Norwegian labour activist and a victim of the German occupation of Norway during World War II. Wickstrøm grew up in a working-class family. In 1935 he was hired as ...

, and chief jurist in the Confederation of Trade Unions, Viggo Hansteen were executed immediately. Arrested on 12 September, Harry Vestli was sentenced to death together with

Ludvik Buland Ludvik Buland (6 May 1893 – 5 February 1945) was a Norwegian trade unionist. He chaired the Norwegian Union of Railway Workers, but was imprisoned and died during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. Early life and career Ludvik Buland ...

and Josef Larsson, but the three were later reprieved, and instead given a lifelong jail sentence. Vestli was imprisoned at both

Grini Grini is a district in northeastern Bærum, Norway. Concentration camp The name Grini is best known from the concentration camp of the same name, but this camp lay further west and had no actual connection to the Grini area. History The name ...

and Akershus Fortress, before being sent to Germany on 16 October 1941. While imprisoned here he contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. He died in September 1942 at a hospital in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vestli, Harry 1918 births 1942 deaths Norwegian trade unionists Norwegian people of Swedish descent Norwegian civilians killed in World War II Norwegian prisoners sentenced to death Grini concentration camp prisoners People condemned by Nazi courts Politicians who died in Nazi concentration camps Tuberculosis deaths in Germany