Panel 1: The Liberation and the Days After in Aabybro
Relieved and Festive People in the Town
When the news of the liberation was read out during the BBC’s English broadcast on the evening of May 4, 1945, celebrations broke out in the streets of Aabybro, even though the official surrender didn’t take effect until 8 a.m. the next day.
The town’s citizens gathered both in the evening and in the days following, in the streets near the Afholdshotel, Mumgaards Hotel, and the Konditoriet. The joy of the occupation finally being over was immense, and the streets were filled with celebration.
Photo: Local resistance fighters march through the streets of Aabybro, near the Konditoriet and Afholdshotel.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Photo: Harry Thomsen and Holger Langdal Nielsen in front of the headquarters at Kærvej 12.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Photo: Johannes “Krat” Kristiansen sits on a German Flak cannon near the bunkers by the Mejeri/Ryå.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Photo: Doctor Dybdal’s Opel is used as transportation in the days after the liberation. It runs on gasoline, not a gas generator. The doctor had been allowed to drive a gasoline-powered car during the occupation to reach his patients.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Dramatic Situations
There were also dramatic situations. The local resistance fighters had to ensure peace and order in the days after the liberation. This included guarding German positions, as well as ensuring that there was no vigilante justice against people who had been “pro-German”.
Resistance members Robert Falborg and Holger Nielsen were on guard on Saturday, May 5, near the bunkers at Aabybro Mejeri. In one of the bunkers, they found a large number of bodies. The dead were German refugees who had arrived in Aabybro in the final stages of the war from the bombed-out cities in Germany. They were typically sick, exhausted, and starving when they arrived, and many died before the liberation. The German soldiers had apparently used the bunker as a morgue, likely because of the consistently low temperature inside.
The flight of Gestapo through Aabybro is also described on another panel.
Resistance Headquarters
After the liberation, the resistance’s headquarters were located at Kærvej 12, where Village Leader Holger Langdal Nielsen lived with his father, Teacher Anton Nielsen.
This is where the resistance fighters stayed when they were off duty. Rest was necessary between shifts, and here, the watch schedules were planned, detailing which people were to guard the most important locations in the town.
Panel 2: The English Arrive in Town
The Royal Dragoons and Captain Greavs
On Sunday, May 27, 27 English soldiers from The Royal Dragoons, led by Captain Greavs, arrived in Aabybro. They were greeted as heroes by both the resistance fighters and locals. There were greetings, and a football match was arranged between a team of English soldiers and Aabybro’s A-team.
1,200 people gathered on Stationsvej (Viaduktvej) in front of the Afholdshotel and Mumgaards Hotel. From the balcony of the Afholdshotel, the chairman of the Football Club, bookbinder assistant Stockmann, welcomed them. “We greet you as our liberators from the German tyranny, and therefore, we cannot thank you in words, but hope that we can show our gratitude today in visible ways.”
The chairman of the Craftsmen and Citizens Association, bookseller Arne Hansen, also spoke.
English Captain Greavs “thanked them for the warm welcome and asked the audience not to be too critical of the football match, as the team lacked training and had not played together.”
Football Match in the Park
The large procession then moved to the park, where the football match would take place.
Entry: Seats 2.50 DKK, standing 1.50 DKK – children 0.75 DKK. The proceeds from the event went to “The Families of Freedom Fighters.”
The match drew 1,700 spectators and ended in a 4-4 draw.
Well, the best result one could ask for…
The English soldiers had been at war and had not played football for many months!
Source: Aalborg Amtstidende, May 28, 1945
Photo: Captain Greavs gives a speech on the balcony of the Afholdshotel/Cinema. He and the English soldiers are welcomed as heroes. On the left is the schoolmaster Okkels.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Photo: People gather and celebrate at the Konditoriet and the Savings Bank.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Photo: The crowd marches in procession down Vestergade towards the park, led by police officers from Nørresundby.
Photo: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Photo: The English soldiers’ team vs Aabybro’s A-team before the match. The match ended in a 4-4 draw. The soldiers had not played football in many months, as they had been at war!
Source: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn
Panel 3 – Only Pictures
Photo 1 (top): English soldiers from The Royal Dragoons posed for a photo on Viaduktvej.
Photo 2: Local resistance fighters stand in front of Mumgaards Hotel, waiting for the English soldiers. Note that they are wearing German helmets. These had been left in large quantities by the retreating German soldiers as they made their way back to Germany.
Photo 3: Local resistance fighter and village leader Holger Langdal stands guard at Aabybro Folk High School in the background.
Photo 4: Resistance fighter Jens Chr. Jørgensen photographed outside the headquarters at Kærvej 12, well-armed with a submachine gun.
Photo 5 (bottom): The resistance fighters also needed rest between their shifts. They had their headquarters at Kærvej 12, with Teacher Anton Nielsen.
Photo 6: The English soldiers from The Royal Dragoons march in front of the Post Office. Captain Greavs leads the procession.
Photo 7: German soldiers march home to Germany. Photo taken outside Aabybro.
Photo 8: A freedom celebration is also held on June 3, 1945, in Aabybro Park. This song was sung and was written by local P. Falborg. The event was organized by “Danish Women’s Civil Defense” and the “Craftsmen and Citizens Association”.
All photos: Lokalhistorisk Forening for Aaby Sogn