Master carpenter and builder Jeppe J. Vinkel (April 1, 1878 – December 10, 1921) was a trained carpenter, but despite lacking formal education, designed several village schools and buildings in Skive. He was an active Social Democrat and involved in the shooting movement. In connection with the First World War, there was a split in the movement.
The architect’s work
Vinkel was born in Højslev as the son of mill builder Niels Jepsen. As a young man, he trained as a carpenter in Skive, but also worked as a master builder (architect). He had no formal education apart from a course in building design at Vallekilde Folk High School. His specialty was small village schools. He designed several village schools, such as Vridsted (1906), Dommerby Forskole (1907), Højslev St. and Fly Skoler (1908), Thorum Skole (1910), Lihme Skole (on Adelgade) (1914), Højslev Kirkeby Hovedskole (1919) and Egeris Forskole (1921). In Skive, he designed the large warehouse of Arbejdernes Fællesbageri, Godthåbsvej 7 (1915), and “Sallinghus”, Nørregade 24 (1917-1919).
The politician
From 1909 to 1920, he represented the Social Democratic Party in the Skive Landsogn-Resen parish council, and he was a member of the board of the party association in Skive. He was also on the board of the cooperative companies Arbejdernes Fællesbageri i Skive and Skive Brugsforening.
The shooting movement
World War I leads to division and exclusion
Vinkel was an avid shooter and heavily involved in the marksmanship movement. When the shooting movement emerged in the 1860s, many conservatives and officers considered it one of the movement’s main tasks to prepare young shooters to be ready to join the military when needed. But many radicals and social democrats saw things differently, and when the First World War broke out, it created a split in the shooting movement.
After the outbreak of the war, the Board of the Danish Shooting Associations called for members to volunteer for military service. At the outbreak of war, Vinkel was chairman of both Skive Skytteforening and Salling Herreders Skytteforening, which was the organization for 30 shooting associations in Salling. Vinkel was strongly opposed to the idea of shooters joining the military. He believed that the upper board had brought politics into the shooting movement by trying to link it to the country’s defense: “Defense and militarism are one and the same”. This statement pleased the board, and the case ended with Salling Herreders Shooting Association being expelled from the Danish Shooting Associations.
Angle meets support
In Salling, there was a lot of support for Vinkel, and Hans Nielsen, MP for Skive, made sure that Salling Herreders Skytteforening got its own appropriation in the Finance Act. The break with the shooting associations also meant that the shooting movement in Salling was split in two. Ten shooting associations left and formed their own organization. Sallinglands Skytteforening. During the last years of the World War, the shooting associations were almost at a standstill due to a shortage of ammunition, which is perhaps part of the reason why the two organizations merged into one organization in 1919: Salling Skytte- og Gymnastikforening. In connection with the merger, Vinkel resigned as chairman, but he remained active in the new organization until his death.
Vinkel’s death and memorial stone
Carpenter and master builder Jeppe Jensen Vinkel died after a few weeks of severe illness, aged 43.
After his death, a collection was made to erect a memorial stone at his grave site. Behind the collection was a broad, cross-political circle of Vinkel’s former parish council colleagues and residents of the town-like part of Skive parish where Vinkel had lived. The memorial stone was created by sculptor Niels Hansen-Jacobsen, Vejen.
Sources:
- Niels Mortensen: “En sund sjæl i et sundt legeme” Idræt på landet 1861-1914, in: Skivebogen 1988, p. 37-61.