Ole Siem (11 January 1882 – 1979) was a Norwegian naval officer, businessman and politician.

Personal life

Siem was born in

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 ...

to Martin Olsen Siem and Gjertrud Christlock. He married Marie Augusta Ursin Holm in 1912, and was the father of

Martin Siem Ole Martin Siem (6 January 1915 – 3 November 1996) was a Norwegian businessperson and World War II resistance member. He was born in Horten as a son of naval commander Ole Siem (1882–1979) and Marie Augusta Ursin Holm (1888–1961). The ...

Career

Siem took actively part in local politics, and was elected to the

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

in Horten (1925–1928),

Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...

(1931–1934) and

Hadsel Hadsel ( sme, Válafierda) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stokmarknes. Other villages in Hadsel include Fiskebø ...

(1937–1940). He was director of

Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap Troms Fylkes Dampskibsselskap or TFDS is a defunct Norwegian shipping company that also has activities in public transport and tourism. Based in Tromsø the company was one of the two operators of the Coastal Express and also operated a number of ...

from 1929 to 1934, and of Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab from 1936 to 1950. During the

Battles of Narvik The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April to 8 June 1940, as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian town of Narvik, as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War. ...

in 1940 he served with the 6th Division, as head of the sea transport. During the

German occupation of 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 th ...

he was among the resistance pioneers in Northern Norway. He was incarcerated at Ånebyleiren and then Grini from April to July 1941, as a "Svolvær hostage". He was later arrested by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

in December 1942, but was transferred to the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

as prisoner-of-war in 1943 when about 1,100 Norwegian military officers were sent to prisoner-of-war camps in Poland and Germany for the rest of the war. He was decorated Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 1946. He was Officer of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, recipient of the Polish

Virtuti Militari The War Order of Virtuti Militari (Latin: ''"For Military Virtue"'', pl, Order Wojenny Virtuti Militari) is Poland's highest military decoration for heroism and courage in the face of the enemy at war. It was created in 1792 by Polish King St ...

, 4th Class, and of the Turkish

Liakat Medal The Liakat Medal ( tr, Liyakat Madalyasi) translated as "Medal of Merit," was a decoration of the Ottoman Empire established in 1890. It could be awarded in two classes, gold or silver. The medal was a common military decoration of the late Ottoma ...

References

1882 births 1979 deaths People from Trondheim Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II Norwegian resistance members Norwegian businesspeople in shipping Grini concentration camp survivors Norwegian prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Vestfold politicians Politicians from Tromsø Nordland politicians Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Virtuti Militari Recipients of the Liakat Medal {{Norway-politician-1880s-stub