through the years

These articles, tracing the history of the Club, were complied in 1984 on the occasion of our 50^th Anniversary.

• Introduction

• A Last Look Back: 1980 - 1984

• The Club: 1976 - 1980

• AWC: 1970 - 1975

• The 60s

• 1950 - 1955

• 1945 - 1950

• 1945

• The War Years: 1940 - 1945 in Oslo

Introduction - Does This Describe Anything Familiar?

A club for American women, living in Oslo, holding monthly meetings with attendance of 30 to 50, a large library, active involvement in FAWCO, benefit bridges and bridge lessons, luncheons, yearly dues of NOK 50, club rooms open daily where one can meet friends for a cup of tea out in the patio, next to the fountain… If it all sounds familiar, you haven't been reading carefully! Dues have gone up some since 1935 and club rooms, like those at Theatergaten 7, are hard to find these days, especially at NOK 116 per month. Besides Theatergaten 7 isn't there anymore and that's as sad as having prices go up.

What strikes me in finding out about the beginning years of our club is that so many of our traditions were established already in the first year -- bridges, books, a social meeting in December, or raffling off a couple of turkeys in November -- if that still is a tradition.

What delights me in this hunt for our roots, is the chance to talk with so many of those members who were here before the war and the chance to read notes, minutes of meetings, reports written by women we've never met, but wish we had. Some of the same names keep popping up -- Day Morgenstjerne for instance. How's that for a wonderful, bright name? She was the first president of the Club, serving two terms before being succeeded by Grace Aslaksen. Grace tells about her with warmth and regard for her talents in organizing the Club. "She knew all the rules." Peggy Magelssen tells about the first meeting that was held in 1934 -- a luncheon given by Mrs. Bevan. It was a beautiful day in September and Mrs. Bevan had gathered about fourteen American friends to hear what her visitor from Vienna had to tell. Mrs. Guttman was president of the AWC there and told about many such clubs all over Europe. Peggy remembers in particular that Gladys Waaler stood up, "looking beautiful as always and in a kelly green hat that day" to urge the others to form a club in Oslo.

The next time these women got together it was at KNA Hotel in February 1935. There were 20 at the meeting that day. They accepted a constitution and by-laws, agreeing to pay NOK 10 per year in dues and NOK 2 per meeting. There were fines for overdue books, as well as for tardiness and absence. These last were soon dropped!

Meetings were held then in the homes of various members until January 1936 when they were able to move in to newly decorated clubrooms. Those who were here then remember Theatergaten 7 lovingly. "We could come by during the day, drink tea, play bridge, exchange the magazines our families sent us…Good Housekeeping, Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan. There was an English woman who lived there, Miss Fisher, who kept up the rooms for us and was there every day from 12 to 3."

Club members had been asked to raise dues from NOK 10 to NOK 50 per year in order to rent these rooms, which they did willingly. They also donated furniture, including a hat rack. The importance of hats seems to be the only tradition we haven't continued.

So the quiet Oslo days went on. New names were added to the membership lists, new books were added to the library, and it's too bad it couldn't last.

Next month we'll read about AWC Oslo during the years 1940 - 1945.
Ann B.
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A Last Look Back: 1980 - 1984

Greetings from Northern California where I have been since mid-July. During this time I have been reflecting on my nearly five (!) years in Norway. My experiences with the AWC all started when I found its number while I was looking up another number in the Oslo phone directory. I called, and the first question posed to me after we got my name straight, was what did my husband do? I was surprised, since I thought we had gotten beyond those days and here I was supposed to be the independent career woman. Yet I realized, after being in Norway a while, that the question was very appropriate. For it seemed I was one of very few women in the Club who were single and had come to Norway mainly because of a job and not because of a boyfriend, husband's job, or his nationality.

Luckily for me, the first people I met in the Club were Lizann and Pat, followed by Donna V. and others. My first luncheon was at the Colosseum Grill, and as I walked up the stairs alone with butterflies in my stomach, it sounded like there were 200 women up there! To my amazement, there were only around 70, but after a while I understood why there was so much noise; everyone was so happy to see each other and they were having fun!

It came to be that I really looked forward to those luncheons. I enjoyed my work as a researcher at the Peace Research Institute, but it was a welcome relief to get away from it all to attend the luncheons. I had my own little secret of going to have lunch with "The Ladies." I only missed meetings if I was out of the country for work. It didn't matter who the speaker would be because I knew I would get to see old friends, make new ones, and go to new places in Oslo. My mother was especially happy to hear about my membership in the Club, because it would ensure that I wasn't burying myself in work or "letting myself go." I enjoyed looking at the people at the meetings and wondering what their lives were like. I looked forward to seeing situations like the senior members of the Club getting together - all of them looking so well appointed. I was to learn what a great sense of humor these graceful ladies had when they discussed their lives in Norway at the very elegant and fun 50^th Anniversary Celebration in March 1984.

There were tough times too during my years in Oslo. We found out that my mother had cancer, but my friends in the Club and others helped me through this period. During this time I decided to take a class at Blindern (University of Oslo) sponsored by the AWC/International Forum, and I was fortunate to meet more people such as Audrey Hansen (in the Ladies Room of all places!),. Later I would get to know others in the Club like Ginny L., Cheryl T., Mina, Kristine, Lynn J., and Ann Z. I was also reunited with a classmate from college, Marte B. And I was ambushed in Majorstua by Einfrid to start off our friendship!

Little did I know of what I was getting myself into that day in 1982 when Donna asked me to model in the fashion show. It was great fun! This also solved the problem of what to give myself for Christmas and my birthday. I bought two of the outfits I modeled! The Volvo auto and fashion demonstration in 1983 was also fun and made us feel elegant with our own car and fur for the evening, but I just couldn't see my way through my checkbook balance to buy either!

I noticed during my 4 1/2 years in the Club how the speakers became more varied, as did the venues for the meetings, and more evening meetings were held to accommodate the ladies who could not attend during the day. The calendar of events got longer and more interesting each month, although I was not able to take advantage of everything I wanted to. I enjoyed doing things for the Club, like attending the conference on racism with Ann B. and Sandra, and also participating in those Thursday nights at Pat's house with other women like Ginny H. I didn't know how to knit, but I could surely make pom poms! And I finally found the Lincoln Statue in Frogner Park. One of the most rewarding experiences I had through AWC was taking the assertiveness and communications course with seven other Club members (a very special hello to you all!) taught by Marcia Z. I have already put into practice a lot of what I learned and heartily recommend the class.

In summary, my years in the AWC really meant a lot to me. The Club was part of my family away from home. Keep up the great work that you are doing, including the scholarship program. With your capable President and the other board members, you are in very good hands. I know that you will have a very successful FAWCO conference, and I look forward to seeing many of you, either during my return visits to Oslo or here in California. Take care and thanks for everything.
Julianne T.
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The Club - 1976 - 1980

I make no pretense of having written this with anyone. I am writing it alone. Signee is helping me - feeding me information. We tried to write it together, but Signee's elbows keep getting in the way. So many of the historical details of AWC have been recounted by others that it seems best to describe how we discovered the Club as it was, and how we have participated in what it has become. We think our stories are representative.

I was "one" - really alone; even in my immediate family I was the only full-blooded American. I'd heard about the American Women's Club and, after 2 months in Norway, I called and made a reservation for the Christmas meeting at the selskapslokal at Nebelsgate.

I walked in on an "In Crowd"; everyone had someone to talk to, sit with. English laced with Norwegian was flying all around me and that day there was a special guest speaker, "Groharlembrundtland," which sounded like "Rumplestiltskin" to me. Everyone was also very excited about next month's meeting when the guest would be Ivo Caprino, which I misheard to be Evel Knievel. I felt so alone and so "outside" that I would have walked out then and there had I not spotted a group of old friends who've always been there when I've felt especially left out and alone. There on a shelf were Erma Bombeck, James Michener, Irving Wallace, and even some of my "odd" friends like John Barth, Philip Roth, and Carson McCullers. Had it not been for my "old friends" and the possibility of seeing Evel Knievel in the flesh, I probably would not have attended another meeting.

Also at that meeting I met Monica, another newcomer from Jamaica and, like me, married to a Norwegian. After the meeting we went shopping and then home to her apartment where I was treated to a hamburger, a coke, and a stock of Ladies Home Journals. She felt left out, too. We were two!

Signee was "one," but a veteran of being "one," having lived in Amsterdam and been a member of the AWC there. Her first meeting was in September 1977 at Krusesgate. Robin was taking luncheon payments that day and she and Signee discovered that they both had bouncing baby boys. On the basis of this, they agreed to get together for lunch shortly thereafter. They were "two!" After that, Robin invited Signee to a "sew club" where she met Mary, who invited Signee to a bridge club. Signee "belonged!"

Monica had heard about a group called "The Wednesday Night Group" which sounded like another "In Crowd" to me, but since we were "two", we decided to venture it. It was at Donna's house and turned out to be more like a group therapy session than a meeting. Donna told us about a Newcomer's Course, which I attended. At this course the feeling sorry for myself had to stop, as there were fresher faces than mine present. A few weeks later, I was pushing the baby carriage with daughter along Girinveien on my way to Østerås shopping center when a car slowed and the driver, Donna, honked and waved. There may have been passers-by, but I didn't notice them, for suddenly all suppressed anxiety of the first months in Norway spilled out in a mixture of laughter and tears. I "belonged!"

So we "belonged." We were on the "inside" and it was only right that we contribute to the Club. There were many of us. Unlike our predecessors, we didn't have "help" with the children or housework. We wanted to go to the meetings at almost any cost - except, of course, the NOK 60-70 for a private babysitter. So we paid in sweat and tears; the sweat a result of carrying children, toys, and diaper bags up the four flights to the babysitter at my apartment in Majorstua, and the tears of our toddlers as they were pried loose from their mothers - mothers who were almost always late for the meetings and, by then, in need of a shower.

Most of us were willing to make a minimal contribution to the Club; we just needed a nudge. Then came Mary Marshall, an unsung catalyst to many permanent changes in the AWC. In the summer of 1977 Mary called a meeting at the elegant apartment of a friend. Mary said she had "cabin fever" and wanted to get things movin! We were a motley crew, but Mary was so enthusiastic that by the end of the meeting most of us had picked up her southern drawl and arranged ourselves into committees under the umbrella of the Activities Committee with Mary as chairman. We were committed each and every one of us. Typical of our generation of Club members, most of us had brought the aforementioned toddlers to the meeting. We left behind fingerprints on the glass-topped coffee table, spit-up on the rug, and, as the Club Library was lodged there at the time, my old friends Michener, Bombeck, and company spread all over the floor.

With the advent of the Activities Committee, we became the faces on the "inside". Signee began working with bridges, bake sales, skits, the Library, and all sorts of money-making events. I volunteered, Army-style, to take over the "Topical Teas" and before I knew it, I was Membership Chairman and organizing neighborhood coffees and working on a fashion show. Another move closer to the heart of the Club came later, as both Signee and I found ourselves working with, dare I say it, "older" Club members: big sisters, mothers, and aunts in many ways. Through the club we've met all variety of Americans - Southerners, Northeasterners, Midwestern farm girls, California girls, and the "Temporaries" who are our lifeline to the state of American culture and who remind us "Permanents" how American we are and how Norwegian we've become.

When I remember that day of laughter and tears on the road to Østerås, I remember too how I "used' that tiny event. For weeks after, when I was in the company of Norwegians, I would casually mention , "While on the way to Østerås the other day, a friend…" It seemed that my sense of belonging and worth here in Norway came first from my American friends, and belong to an American group gave me the courage to move into Norwegian society.

Signee and I have both cursed the Club. Once, in an effort to meet the trikk that would get her to the meeting on time, Signee tried to leap some playground equipment in a single bound. She tore the lining on her new fur coat, ran her nylons, and scraped her shins. "Why do I go through all this?" she asked herself. I've asked myself the same question and decided that it must be the real, live friends I've made, my "old friends" at the Library, and my ever present faith in the imminent arrival of Evel Knievel.

Written by Donna V. in collaboration with Signee T. as part of the seires on the history of AWC, compiled in 1985 and reprinted now in commemoration of our 60^th Anniversary.
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AWC: 1970 - 1975

These years were no exception in regard to the number of activities and services offered. By this time the Club was an established part of the Oslo community, but still a "haven" for so many of us who had accepted the challenge of adapting to a new culture, language, and, well, you know what I mean! The Club was the one place we could all "let our hair down" and be strictly American for a few hours. In fact, it was quite an issue at one point as to whether or not we should open our doors to non-Americans. After several heated debates, we decided to stick to the compromise of having a category of "associate" members for Norwegians and other women having a particular affinity for America and Americans.

The idea of helping each other to adjust to our new surroundings was finally consolidated by the founding in 1971 of our ever-popular "Newcomers Club" with Sally G-D., Barbara V., Jo S., Ann Z., Ann B., and Evelyn C. as the originators. Another function not directly connected with the Club also sprang up in this period - simply called the "Wednesday Night Group" - a kind of supplement to the monthly meetings which many of us with small children could not always attend. (I don't think the babysitting service was established until the end of this period.) It was simply a social gathering once a month in private homes, serving coffee and cake that were contributed by those attending. We even voted to not have a president, board, dues, and all that organized groups entail. That this group served a purpose was evidenced by its large attendance.

Board meetings at each others homes were always a pleasure to attend. I remember Ann B.'s enticing invitation to accept the nomination of secretary by saying, "…and they have delicious luncheons." She was right! Later I managed to keep in close touch with the Board by working for several years as advertising manager for the Bulletin (now the Fjord Flyer), and it's always encouraging to note that many of the same advertisers are still with us. Working under Bulletin editor Lolly H.'s professional guidance was both fun and enriching.

The age-old problem of finding a permanent home for the Club was very much discussed, and all kinds of possibilities were investigated - with the same result: to expensive. And so we moved from "Handelsstand" to "Villa Granberg" (later called "Noble Dancer") and for a while at least, we were able to house our precious library. The thought of abandoning our books was equivalent to blasphemy - still is, I think. Spirited letters to the Bulletin expressed the prevalent views on that subject during this period.

The topical teas were interesting and inviting, and we would like to honor the memory of Janet M. whose unlimited fund of ideas and generous service were an inspiration to us all. Among the successful activities sponsored by the Club were the combined family picnic and boat excursion at Nesøya, a weekend visit to Sally B.-A.'s cottage in the mountains, as well as a "Make-It-Yourself" fashion show at Strand Restaurant. Our guest speakers included such prominent Norwegians as actress Wenche Foss and Member of Parliament Berte Rognerud.

Being a member of AWC has really enriched my life in Norway and it is a great help to be able to meet and work with so many others in more or less the same situation, whether permanent residents or those living here on a temporary basis. I would like to close by quoting some words of wisdom spontaneously expressed by on of those "temporary" members. She had lived in nine different countries in the course of 20 years and referred to us as the ones who have the "luxury" of being permanent members. I had never seen our situation in that light before! I must admit to having felt twinges of envy for many of the privileges our transient members were able to enjoy, but now I can better appreciate the opportunities we have to contribute to the community we have chosen as our home base, and AWC is a good starting point. So thanks to all of you - both permanent and temporary members!
Betty H.
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The 60's

When old friends get together, they usually talk about old times and shared experiences. Our three "historians" got together recently to write about being her in the 60's. We were here because (as most of you) we married Norwegians. Our Norwegians brought us to Oslo in the mid-60's in various stages of readiness. For one, a readiness course had been summer school at the University of Oslo. The two others had been given an initiation through living in Seattle, dancing at Norway Center, skiing and mountain climbing, and proving their basic "barsk"ness. So beginnings weren't too bad. And we all found the AWC early, which helped with the rest.

Lesson One and Two for recent arrivals: Learn the language and like the outdoors.

Then came the babies, three times three. Things got more complicated and it was good to have each other. It still is! Our recent talk began with an hour of keeping up on the now-grown babies, but we determinedly got back to our original topic, and remembering: a children's Halloween party all arranged in the "tilfluktsrom" of an apartment building, nearly cancelled because of neighbors' pre-conceived complaints. Assurance from other American mothers that babies could indeed sleep on stomachs - no matter what the in-laws said! A recurring problem of lack of babysitting (and funds) made attending AWC difficult. But even board meetings could be held with small guests attending. One sweet toddler sat quietly and colored under the table during a meeting and chewed blue paper napkins. We started a Wednesday Night Group during those years to serve the need of getting out to gab. Sometimes we stayed very late and sometimes there were dozens of us. It was good to have Norwegian friends, and some were even with us in this group, but American/English friends talking American/English, well -- there you didn't even have to explain things like "dozens". Is that group still around? We know of a Mother's Group and a weekly gathering of needle workers -- perhaps they fill the need.

Lesson three: give yourself time out with the girls.

"Loss of things remembered" led to an appreciation of the efforts involved in creating American touches in our Oslo lives. We kept up with how smuggled dogwood trees were doing in one backyard (brought over in coat pockets), and if corn stalks were making it each summer. Neither of these experiments worked out, but another one proved a minor success: Project Pumpkin. After reading in Family Circle that Centerville Ohio was pumpkin capital of the world, a letter was sent requesting good seeds for Oslo gardens. Some of the results were sold later that fall at a meeting -- NOK 15 per genuine pumpkin. Friend Mina has been receiving genuine Hawaiian guava jam for years. And one fond aunt used to send a gallon of Vermont maple syrup each sugaring season.

Lesson four: Don't forget your vegetable roots either!

Our collective remembering finds expression every Thanksgiving when three families get together for turkey with all the fixings. After a few years, husbands learned to like all the pies and children now taste sweet potatoes.

Lesson five: Hang on to some of your traditions, even when the going is tough.

All along, of course, we've been picking up Norwegian ways. Twenty years have done a lot -- the home economics expert makes sylte every Christmas and raves about the results and good kilo prices. Another has become a whiz at serving cod at Christmas. We all snakker norsk and we're all out working, loving our jobs. It makes contact with the club more difficult, but we want to keep in touch and do try to get in son some of the activities.

These are the years we'll have to watch our balance, keeping our dogwood pumpkin selves in tyttebær torsk surroundings. Hopefully we'll manage that too, as you others have, and will.

Last Lesson: Find a happy balance and watch out for the ice and the envy.
Sally, Lynne, Ann
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1950 - 1955

During these years the AWC concentrated on raising money to establish the Scholarship Fund which sends a Norwegian student to study in the U.S. There were eight students during that period who were awarded partial or whole scholarships:

Funds were raised by holding bridges, white elephant parties, fashion shows, Leap Year Supper Dance, a candlelight concert at the Kunstindustrimuseum (!), and the memorable dinner at the Hotel Bristol which gave the fund NOK 7,000. Through these efforts, club members have been drawn closer together and have acquainted themselves with Norwegian customs and culture. Ambassador and Mrs. Bay were most generous in giving a total of $2,900 in 1952 and 1953 which helped us on our way to forming a more permanent scholarship fund.

Our meetings were held at Oslo Handelsstand. The library committee faithfully worked at selecting the books so important for our members. By 1955 the Book Fund was budgeted at NOK 1,500 per year. Membership teas were given. At Christmas, gifts were purchased for the children at Østre Aker Barnehjem. In January 1953, the club started its first bulletin with Mrs. Birgit M. as editor. FAWCO representation was sent to Stockholm in 1951 and to Brussels in 1953. Even though the Club had no established headquarters as we do today, the ladies were active and productive and we had fun together!

In remembering my own life here way back then, two incidents come to mind. I came to Norway on the "Christmas Ship" in 1948. My baggage contained linens, silver, fur coat, suit material for my husband-to-be, and for his sisters and mother, and a wedding cake made by the cook of the school where I was director. I waited patiently for the customs officials to let me meet Erik. The crowds dwindled and still no response. My cake was the problem -- no ration cards for sugar, butter, eggs, flour. In desperation I cried out, "But it's my wedding cake!" Then they ushered me through the gates and I actually forgot all the other goodies in my trunk and suitcases.

Those years of 1950-1955 were when I had three babies. Because I was pregnant in 1951, I was issued a ration card for 6 kg of bananas. This was a real treat, as fruit was still scarce during this period. We could get carrots, turnips, beets, cabbage, and, of course, potatoes. I can still remember the walk down to the docks to pick up my bananas at Banan Mathiesen, trundling along with my heavy stomach. My mother sent Care packages with baby food. My mother-in-law used to get put out with me (and she was a dear), as I always seemed to get more meat with my ration card than she did. It was a bit of a challenge in those days, but fun.
Sally B.-A.
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1945 - 1950

Charlotte F. must have been the first American wife of a Norwegian to arrive in Norway after the war. The Germans capitulated on May 8^th and Charlotte arrived on the 11^th from Stockholm where she had been sent two weeks before from London with the Norwegian army, which she had joined in January. Since she had no idea of whether her family-in-law even knew of her existence, she didn't know what to expect when she walked up to the family home and announced that she was their daughter-in-law! All went well, however, as she had seen Finn alive two weeks before, whereas they had not heard from him for three years and were sure his plane had been shot down. She was well settled in the family home when Finn finally got to Norway three weeks later and, due to the housing situation in Oslo, they lived with his non-English speaking family for a year and a half!

Elizabeth S. arrived in 1947 having met, been assiduously pursued by, and married the ship's doctor on the good old "Stavangerfjord." They returned soon to Wisconsin, but two years later came back, this time with two children, and settled down for good, this time in a home of their own.

The first time Charlotte heard about the AWC was when Astrid E., while back in Boston, learned that a former schoolmate had come to Norway. Astrid contacted her and took her to her first meeting at Alice S.'s apartment in the fall of '45. Meetings in private homes continued for another two years and the library, the original object of the club, was lugged from meeting to meeting in two large battered suitcases. It must have been wonderful for the members who had been in Norway during the occupation to have new books to read.

The number of club meetings was increasing, as well as the number of books, and we were delighted when, in September '47, the Oslo Handelsstand was willing to serve us lunch and store our newly acquired bookcases between meetings. We now had a real library and we can never think back to those days without remembering our beloved librarian for so many years, Ibbi B. That year the library bought 35 books for NOK 250!

The meetings in those days were mainly social, sometimes with a program, but often without. They were times, as they still can be, when you could let your hair down, blow off steam if necessary, newcomers could consult the older ones on how to cope, whether it concerned food or mothers-in-law. In 1947, during the times of Ambassador Bay, his wife Josephine, as honorary president of the Club, felt that we should be doing more than holding social meetings. She suggested that we raise funds for a scholarship to send a Norwegian student to the U.S. for advanced studies, and generously offered to duplicate whatever amount we were able to raise. She also opened the Embassy for fundraising bridges. The first bridge netted NOK 5,000 which almost covered the entire $1,000 scholarship!

In 1950 the fund raising committee, under the able leadership of Peggy M., held an evening at the Bristol Hotel. The entrance fee was NOK 15 and for a further NOK 15 a three-course dinner was served! Per Aabel was conferansier and Anne Brown sang.

In 1954 while Elizabeth S. was out of the country, she was surprised to hear she had been elected president of the Club. Charlotte F. was equally startled to find herself vice-president. Both were elected in spite of the fact that they were both planning to spend the fall in the USA! Our secretary Marylee B. held down all three jobs with great intelligence and efficiency until after Christmas when Charlotte returned, enormously pregnant, to take over the meetings. One didn't usually make such public appearances when pregnant in those days. Finally Elizabeth came back, having suffered a badly fractured leg. In a hip-length cast and on crutches, she took over for the rest of the year. The following year the new president, Inez H., was overheard saying to someone, "Thank God I have finally got the Club back on its feet again!"
Elizabeth S. and Charlotte F.
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1945

On the day we heard that our five years of occupation were at an end, I was visiting with the country doctor's family. We got out the flag, and with the help of some passing men, we got it hoisted. Someone produced a well-cared-for bottle and we drank a toast to king and country and the brave people who brought our freedom to a reality. Our ceremony ended with the singing of the national anthem and some tears.

By this time I was eager to see my people in the USA again. Astrid E. and I were granted American passports numbers one and two and left Norway from Trondheim on a liberty boat in September. The first officer informed us that women were not welcome on board -- like cats, we were not considered lucky passengers! Our trip was a good one, however, even under such circumstances as having to share sanitary facilities with the men. Astrid and I stood watch for one another. My five-year-old son locked himself in one day and had to have the ship's engineer get him out. We had the pleasure of the company of "Greta and Petrus" on board, whom those of our "time" will remember. They were great fun.

Our families were on the pier in Baltimore -- a lovely reunion. They had saved gas stamps to fetch us and candy bars for my son, which he didn't like! A mother can sometimes be embarrassed. He didn't even like ice cream; fortunately this was only a passing "disaster." Then came the time of trying to tell what it was like living in an occupied country. But they didn't seem to understand and I stopped trying to explain. I guess it's something one has to go through to learn.

I'm sorry there's little about the AWC. But that was life as it was for me looking back from 1983.
Stella L.
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The Wars Years 1940 - 1945 in Oslo

After Norway was invaded on April 9, 1940, the AWC no longer officially existed and our club rooms in Teatergaten were requisitioned by the Germans.

Many of our members went back to the USA by way of Petsamo, Finland. Those of us who stayed on here used to meet occasionally at the home of some member. We brought our own sandwiches and, if the hostess had it, she served coffee, but often we brought out own. Food was scarce and everything was rationed.

Life was certainly not easy. No one had a car; trains, trams, and buses did not always run on schedule owing to the breakdowns caused by difficulties in getting new parts, etc. Most of us had small children, so it was difficult to be away from home for any length of time. Also, we were always afraid that there might be an air raid. The result of all of this was that we seldom saw one another. Just living through each day seemed to take all our time and energy -- what with trying to get enough food and heat for our homes.

Sometime during the winter of 1941, the Germans the Quislings decided to have a civilian guard duty, as there was quite a lot of sabotage going on. They called in many Norwegian citizens whom they knew were anti-German, among them my husband who was ordered to patrol the street or road where a Norwegian Nazi lived. This man had complained that people were pestering him and he felt "threatened." The man on patrol duty was not allowed to carry arms, but was responsible with his life for guarding this Nazi!

It was very cold, about -15, so my husband put on all his ski clothes plus a heavy overcoat. Around his waist he had a broad leather belt through which he thrust poker from our fireplace and, to top it all of, we found a big feather to stick in his ski cap. He was quite a sight as he went off on his patrol duty at 10 p.m. I was worried to say the least, as one never knew what the Germans might do when they saw him thus outfitted, making fun of the duty.

At 2:30 a.m. he reappeared, happy as a lark! It seems that all the "good" Norwegian neighbors had heard about this guard duty and turned out with sandwiches, cakes made of white flour (a really great luxury), and many glasses of aquavit, which also was a luxury, being rationed. My husband had a wonderful time, but the poor soul whose house was being guarded finally asked the Germans to call the whole thing off as he was not getting any sleep because of all the people talking and joking in front of his house!

This was one of the episodes of a "happier nature" which occurred during the war years. Many of our acquaintances and friends were arrested and sent to prison, their families living in constant fear for their safety and well being.

We had too little to eat, as I have said before, and it was a daily struggle to keep our households running. We exchanged our cigarette and tobacco coupons for food, if we could find some farmer who was willing to give us some meat or dairy products. For three maternity dresses, I got some meat, which was thoroughly enjoyed by my family. Some of our friends had so-called "villa pigs", and one even had a cow in the garden. Came Christmas and those pigs were slaughtered and the families sat down to a real Christmas dinner. The only trouble being that the children would not eat their friend.

Somehow or other most of us pulled through, but were all rather thin by 1945. News began to filter in, by illegal radios, that the war might end. May 1945 was just beautiful and the sight of all the Norwegian flags flying again on May 8^th will never be forgotten. It was also a joy to greet the American liberation troops and to be able to speak English again and to hear the news from home!
Astrid R. E.
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