Peder Morset (4 April 1887 – 19 May 1943) was a Norwegian teacher and resistance member.
Born in
Selbu
Selbu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mebonden. Other villages in Selbu include Flora, Fossan, Hyttbakken, Innbygda, Selbustrand, Trøa, Tømra, and Vikvarvet.
The ...
in
Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...
, Norway, he was the son of Ole Henriksen Morset (1864–1935) and Ingborg Berntine Petersdatter (1864–1947).
He was educated as a teacher and began his teaching career in his village. In 1913, Morset married Marit Stugudal (1893–1948). The couple had seven sons.
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 the ...
, Morset came into contact with a group organized by
Henry Thingstad 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 ...
. Chairing the local chapter of the Norwegian Teachers' Union (''Norges Lærerlag''), he was also the local representative of the teachers' civil resistance. Several of his sons were also deeply involved in the resistance. Morset and his family helped refugees to flee to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. However his resistance group was infiltrated by agents of
Henry Rinnan
Henry Oliver Rinnan (14 May 1915 – 1 February 1947) was a notorious Norwegian Gestapo agent in the area around Trondheim, Norway during World War II.
Rinnan led a group called ''Sonderabteilung Lola''. This group, known as ''Rinnanbanden'' among ...
and Morset was arrested, sentenced to death and executed at
Kristiansten Fortress
Kristiansten Fortress ( no, Kristiansten Festning, historically spelled ''Christiansten'') is located on a hill east of the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway, named after Christian V of Denmark-Norway. It was built after the city fir ...
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 ...
in 1943. After the liberation, Morset was buried on 29 May 1945 along with the ashes of his son Niklas. The six surviving sons carried the coffin. The fate of Morset and his family was treated by journalist
Per Hansson in his 1963 book ''– og tok de enn vårt liv'' .
References
Further reading
* (Oslo: Gyldendal)
1887 births
1943 deaths
People from Selbu
Norwegian schoolteachers
Norwegian resistance members
Norwegian torture victims
Norwegian civilians killed in World War II
Executed Norwegian people
Norwegian people executed by Nazi Germany
Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany
Deaths by firearm in Norway
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