Freedom fighter Tage Nielsen has a memorial stone at Skive Cemetery – but also at Ørum Hede, where he lost his life in the final days of the war.
An obituary in 1945
On April 24, 1945, there was an obituary in Skive Folkeblad: “Our dear son, brother and brother-in-law Tage Marius Nielsen, has passed away. Bækkevej, Skive, April 24, 1945. On behalf of the family: Emilie and M. Nielsen.”
A freedom fighter killed
Behind the ad hides a tragic death barely 14 days before the message of liberation was broadcast on British radio on the evening of May 4, 1945. In the church book for Skive parish it says about the death: “Somewhere out on Ørum Hede, the deceased was shot from an airplane, and he was dead on arrival at Skive Hospital. He was one of the patriots who gave his life in the fight for Denmark’s freedom”.
It was Tage Nielsen
The dead patriot was 29-year-old warehouse clerk Tage Nielsen (February 26, 1916 – April 24, 1945). He was the son of master baker Morten Nielsen and Emilie Nielsen, Bækkevej in Skive. Tage Nielsen was employed at Selchaus Jernforretning in Skive and lived at Havnevej 32, not far from his parents. He was unmarried.
A more than full church
It was quickly rumored in Skive what was behind the small ad in Folkebladet. It wasn’t until May 5 that Folkebladet reported on the funeral on April 29: “Never has such a turnout been seen at a funeral in Skive. The old church was more than full, and hundreds of silent people stood outside. A sea of flowers and large, beautiful wreaths lay from the coffin wrapped in the Danish flag and down through the church.”
What happened?
On the evening of April 23, 1945, 18 freedom fighters from Skive and Ørum were at Ørum Hede, which was one of the places in the Skive area used for dismantling weapons during World War II. It was the third time weapons were taken down at the site, and the first two times it had gone well.
One of the freedom fighters was master blacksmith Aage Bertelsen, Ørum. He was a member of the Ørum group, which had been established in early 1945 by Tage Nielsen’s brother, Haagen Nielsen. Aage Bertelsen told of Tage Nielsen’s death in 1952: “A “greeting” had arrived from England, so we knew that the weapons were on their way… We also soon saw the English airman coming, but soon realized that something was wrong. Four men – one of them was Tage Nielsen – signaled it with their electric lights, but it didn’t drop its weapons load. Soon after, we understood why. A German machine was after it.
We stopped flashing – only Tage Nielsen didn’t have time to stop before it was too late. … The German airman now knew what was happening on Ørum Hede. It opened fire with its machine guns at the light target on the ground. … The German aimed for Tage Nielsen’s light and it hit. It lasted only seconds, but when it stopped, Tage Nielsen was dying. He dragged himself, partly with his own help and partly supported by his comrades, to the spruce fence where the memorial stone is now erected, and here he breathed his last.”
A memorial stone on the heath
Tage Nielsen’s comrades wanted to erect a memorial stone for Tage Nielsen on Ørum Hede, where he had lost his life. The memorial stone, carved by stonemason Chr. Westerby, Skive, was unveiled at a ceremony on September 16, 1945. It was attended by a large circle of Tage Nielsen’s friends and family, specially invited by the comrades.
And a memorial stone on the grave
At the same time, a committee of freedom fighters had started collecting money for a memorial stone on Tage Nielsen’s grave in Skive Cemetery. Farmer Aage Sørensen, Rettrup Kjær, donated the stone. It weighed 4-5 tons and was in a deep water-filled hole, so it was a difficult task for Falck Rescue Corps in Skive to get it up and transported to Skive. The stone was placed at Jens Christensen’s Timber Trade in Østerbro, and assistance from Falck in Viborg was needed to erect the stone at Tage Nielsen’s grave site.
The memorial stone was unveiled on April 22, 1946. “A few hundred people attended the unveiling yesterday. During the ceremony, the dismantling team, who were with Tage Nielsen at Ørum Hede on that fateful night one year ago tomorrow, stood guard of honor at the grave.”
The decoration of the memorial stone – motif and inscription (a verse by Nordahl Grieg) – was designed by architect Knud Krøll, Skive, and the stone was carved by stonemason Carl Emil Rasmussen, who was the nephew of sculptor Chr. Westerby, Skive.
Sources:
- Memorial unveiling yesterday at Ørum Hede for Tage Nielsen. Skive Folkeblad 17.9. 1945.
- The unveiling of the memorial stone on Tage Nielsen’s grave. Skive Folkeblad April 23, 1946.
- The nightly drama on Ørum Hede. Skive Folkeblad 7.8. 1952.