Estvan Svend Aage Wehlast
Estvan Svend Aage Wehlast (15 April 1916 – 9 February 1945) was a member of the Danish resistance killed by Gestapo while resisting arrest.
Estvan Svend Aage Wehlast | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 April 1916[1] Læssøgade 10-I, Copenhagen |
| Died | 9 February 1945 (aged 28) |
| Cause of death | Killed while resisting arrest[2] |
| Resting place | Ryvangen Memorial Park, from 1946 Brønshøj cemetery[2] |
| Other names | Eswan Wehlast |
| Occupation | Construction worker |
| Known for | Killed while resisting arrest as member of the Danish resistance movement[2] |
| Website | "Modstandsdatabasen" [Resistance Database]. Eswan Wehlast (in Danish). Copenhagen: Nationalmuseet. Retrieved 28 May 2015. |
Biography
On 9 February 1945 Gestapo attempted to arrest Wehlast and his six years younger brother Egon Frants Albert Wehlast at Smørumvej 60 where they kept a duplicating machine. Wehlast resisted the arrest and was shot and killed,[2] while his brother was interned in Frøslev Prison Camp.[3]
After his death
On 29 August Wehlast and 105 other victims of the occupation were given a state funeral in the memorial park founded at the execution and burial site in Ryvangen where their remains had been exhumed. Bishop Hans Fuglsang-Damgaard led the service with participation from the royal family, the government and representatives of the resistance movement.[4]
Soon after the funeral the authorities received information that not only had Wehlast contributed very little to the resistance, but also that he and his brother had committed a series of crimes including robbery, and there were demands to remove his remains from the memorial park. Thus on 3 May 1946, one day prior to the first anniversary of the liberation, Wehlast was exhumed a second time, after his father had agreed to pay for his funeral at the local Brønshøj cemetery.[2]
The official list of resistance members buried in Ryvangen does not include Wehlast.[5]
References
- "Modstandsdatabasen" [Resistance Database]. Eswan Wehlast (in Danish). Copenhagen: Nationalmuseet. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- Birkeland, Sven Arvid (2009). I krigens kølvand : danske skæbner efter 2. verdenskrig [In the wake of the war: Danish destinies after World War II] (in Danish). Gyldendal. pp. 54–57. ISBN 9788702078770. OCLC 895025207.
- "Modstandsdatabasen" [Resistance Database]. Egon Frants Albert Wehlast (in Danish). Copenhagen: Nationalmuseet. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- "Historie – Mindelunden Ryvangen" [History – Ryvangen Memorial Park] (in Danish). Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
- "Det store Gravfelt – Mindelunden Ryvangen" [The large Grave field – Ryvangen Memorial Park] (in Danish). Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.