Olav Bergersen (2 July 1880 – 1973) was a Norwegian naval officer, war historian, insurance inspector and politician. He was a member of the

Storting The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

1931–1933, and served with the Admiral Staff of the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...

in London during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Personal life

Bergersen was born in

Strinda Strinda is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed the eastern part of what is now the municipality of Trondheim south and ea ...

to judge Bernhard Konrad Bergersen and Marie Magdalene Selmer, and was a great-grandson of politician

Hilmar Meincke Krohg Hilmar Meincke Krohg (1 January 1776 – 13 August 1851) was a Norwegian politician and elected official. He served as a representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly. Biography Hilmar Meincke Krohg was born in Trondheim, Norway. He att ...

. He married Ynghild Gønnning in 1906.

Career

Bergersen graduated as naval officer in 1901. He was promoted to Premier Lieutenant in 1904, to Captain in 1912, and Commander in 1945. He was assigned with the insurance company ''Trondhjems Forsikringsselskap'' from 1919 to 1945. He was a member of the municipal council of

Horten is a town and municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand an ...

from 1910 to 1915, and the city council of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

from 1925 to 1937. He was a deputy member of the Storting 1928–1930 (meeting for

Worm Hirsch Darre-Jenssen Worm Hirsch Darre-Jenssen (7 December 1870 – 30 April 1945) was a Norwegian engineer and politician for the Conservative Party. He served two terms in the Parliament of Norway, and as Minister of Labour from 1926 to 1928. Career Worm Darre-Jen ...

in 1928), and was elected representative to the

for the period 1931–1933, for the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. During the

he was held five months in 1942 at the

Falstad concentration camp '', '' no, Falstad fangeleir'', construction=1895-1910 Falstad concentration camp (Norwegian: ''Falstad fangeleir'', German: ''SS-Strafgefangenenlager Falstad'') was situated in the village of Ekne in what was the municipality of Skogn (now in the ...

, as a hostage. In 1943 he escaped

German-occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

neutral Sweden Swedish neutrality refers to Sweden's former policy of neutrality in armed conflicts, which was in effect from the early 19th century to 2009, when Sweden entered into various mutual defence treaties with the European Union (EU), and other Nordic ...

and made his way to the United Kingdom, where he served with the admiral staff of the

. He was member of the advisory board of the

Norwegian Maritime Museum The Norwegian Maritime Museum ( no, Norsk Maritimt Museum) is located at Bygdøynesveien on the Bygdøy peninsula, on the western side of Oslo, Norway. The Norwegian Maritime Museum is situated near several other museums, including the Fram Muse ...

and a board member of ''Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum''. His books include the two-volume ''Viceadmiral Tordenskiold'' (1925), ''Tordenskiold og danskene'' (1932), ''Fra Henrik Bielke til Iver Huitfeldt'' (1953–56, four volumes), and ''Tragedien omkring Tordenskiolds død'' (1963). He edited a book on

Tordenskiold Tordenskiold was the name of two dignities in Danish nobility, the Danish and Norwegian nobility, the Norwegian nobility. Both are today patrilineally extinct. Tordenskiold I Peter Tordenskjold, Peter Jansen Wessel was a Norway, Norwegian/Danish ...

's letters in 1964, and wrote the two-volume ''Nøytralitet og krig'' in 1966. He was awarded the Norwegian Defence Medal 1940–1945 and the

King's Medal of Merit in gold The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

, and was decorated Commander of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1962.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergersen, Olav 1880 births 1973 deaths People from Trondheim Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting Falstad concentration camp survivors Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II Norwegian military historians Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold