Lis Mellemgaard (née Wognsen, 20 February 1924 – 5 July 2019) was a Danish

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

and resistance spy. A member of the Holger Danske Group, she escaped execution by the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

as she remained at home with a sore throat. After completing her studies at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

in 1952, she opened a practice as an eye specialist in

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Denmark, Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022)Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, the only child of a marine engineer and a seamstress. Raised on

Amager Amager ( or, especially among older speakers, ) in the Øresund is Denmark's most densely populated island, with more than 212,000 inhabitants (January 2021) a small appendage to Zealand. The protected natural area of ''Naturpark Amager'' (includi ...

, she

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

from Christianshavns Gymnasium in 1943 and went on to study medicine at

Copenhagen University The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

. Her early work in connection with the '' Dansk Samling'' party prepared her for involvement in the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

from August 1943 when the Danish government ceased cooperating with the Germans. Initially, she distributed illegal newspapers and books, kept guard at sabotage sites and tracked suspected informers. As time went by, she was trained to shoot and take care of weapons and ammunition. In February 1945, her colleagues in the Holger Danske group were arrested at a watchmaker's shop where they regularly met. Mellemgaard was not among them as she had stayed at home with

laryngitis Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms often include a hoarse voice and may include fever, cough, pain in the front of the neck, and trouble swallowing. Typically, these last under two weeks. Laryngitis is categorised ...

. They were taken to police headquarters, beaten and imprisoned. Most of them were executed three weeks later. After the war, she completed her medical studies in 1952 and married a doctor the following year. Together they had three children. She had her own practice as an eye specialist in Hillerød from 1952 to 1970. For many years she did not discuss her involvement in the resistance but in 1998 she wrote an autobiography: ''Pige i modstandskampen'' (Girl in the Resistance).

Awards

*2000: Queen Ingrid Commemorative Medal *2010: Gudmund Schacks Mindelegat

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mellemgaard, Lis 1924 births 2019 deaths Danish resistance members Danish female resistance members Danish ophthalmologists Women ophthalmologists Danish autobiographers Danish women writers Women autobiographers Holger Danske resistance group