1872
Roald Amundsen born July 16
Letter, 9.7.1925, from Eivind Berggrav
Object reference: RA 318B25
Type: Letter
Sender / Author: Eivind Berggrav
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 9.7.1925
Language: Norwegian
🔍Large image, RA 318B25 I
🔍Large image, RA 318B25 II
English translation
From
Botsfengselet’s chaplain.
[Botsfengselet was then Norway’s national prison for long-term inmates. Sadly, the author of the poem remains unidentified]
Oslo 9 juli 1925
Roald Amundsen.
When I went into one of the cells last Monday, I found the enclosed poem. The prisoner had heard the engine drone on Sunday and seen some of the machines [aircraft] and had guessed who was coming. From the pulpit here, I have kept the prisoners informed the whole time, right from the preparations. On Sunday 21 June I recounted your first telegram and the account of the reception at Kings Bay. There were few dry eyes. I assure you that the boys here have been in sheer suspense for you. And yesterday I held an extra meeting for you all and read your entire 5000 words (it took over 3 quarters of an hour). Afterwards, I read this poem from the prisoner and said I would send it to Roald himself. They clapped then so that the church shook.
Respectful greetings and thanks from the prison chaplain for blessed help in the work of encouragement.
Eivind Berggrav. [by hand]
33901
[Handwritten in Norwegian]
Between 9-1 or 2-6
The day before notice, at any time. If an
afternoon. Message in time in the morning.
The director can take message
Side 2
1.
High in the air I hear a din
It is surely Roald who comes.
He who with the polar bear has drunk
Who never feared the Arctic Ocean’s roar
And all the danger it holds.
2.
There he presses on with the mighty battle
Like an eagle on outstretched wings
And this on the most beautiful summer day
For the honour and good of our young flag
Hail to thee, conqueror of the Pole.
3.
Once more he brings victory home
His deed shines out over the world.
Besides him there were five
Who joined the North Pole journey
And for all of them we shout hurray
Even we who sit in here,
We are lifted in thought while the heart is made glad,
And no one can know, there may come a day
Where a prisoner gets death’s urge in his mind.
Related resources
Desk calendar, 1928
Object reference: RA 0187
Height: 9.5 cm
Length : 21.0 cm
Width: 14.0 cm
Materials: wood, metal, paper
Style / Maker: Bloc Shannon / Unis Shannon France
In the Uranienborg study is a French desk calendar on which some of Roald Amundsen’s last notes are written. It has been there on his desk since he left home for the final time on 16 June 1928. Only thirteen pages bear his notes, with the last made on 11 June, but there is also a note written on the back of the page for 9 July, apparently by Roald’s nephew, Gustav “Goggen” Amundsen.
B. 28/3
The fjord ice breaks up at 2 pm
First butterfly
White wagtail today
Has been seen in the “village” Easter Eve [Easter Saturday] — 7th
Has been seen in the “village” Easter Eve [Easter Saturday] — 7th
First hepatica
— bumblebee
— bumblebee
Excavation of basement begun
B.
B.
Byrd
Lovely warm summer day
W. sets outs Byrd’s sledges
Lovely warm summer day
W. sets outs Byrd’s sledges
The first birch comes out
Sowed vegetables
The cuckoo
The swallows are building
Hassel died 5.15 pm
Prentice. 12 noon
Jugcord N4.
Italias crew needs immediate assistance. Stop. Can get suitable plane & best possible pilot & fly there in very short time. Stop. I need $ 60,000. Will your friends finance this.
RA.
Jugcord N4.
Italias crew needs immediate assistance. Stop. Can get suitable plane & best possible pilot & fly there in very short time. Stop. I need $ 60,000. Will your friends finance this.
RA.
Photograph, Benito Mussolini, signed
Object reference: RA 0662
Height: 22 cm
Width: 16 cm
Materials: glass, wood, paper
Portrait photograph of Benito Mussolini with a signed personal greeting to Roald Amundsen.
In April 1924, Amundsen was in Italy in connection with the planned expedition to cross the Arctic Ocean with two Dornier-Wal flying boats, which were being built under licence in Pisa. Amundsen met Mussolini in Milan, where he was presented with this photograph.
Amundsen and Mussolini also met in connection with the 1926 Norge expedition, but their relationship deteriorated markedly following Amundsen’s criticisms of Umberto Nobile and the other Italian crew members after the expedition.
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“A very Gallant Gentleman”
Object reference: RA 0010
Materials: paper, glass, wood
Lawrence Oates was one of the four Britons who reached the South Pole with Robert Falcon Scott in January 1912, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had been there before them. On the way back, everyone died. According to Scott’s diary, Oates died March 16, 1912. Supposedly, he said this to the others in the tent: “I am just going outside and may be some time.” Then he left the tent and went out into the storm, never to be seen again.
This is a reproduction of John Charles Dollman’s painting from 1913, and shows Oates as he leaves the tent. Under the motif is written “he walked willingly to his death in a blizzard, to try and save his comrades, possessed by hardships”. It used to hang in the living room at Amundsen’s home, but has been moved to the blue living room, sometime around 1928.
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Letter, 19.6.1925, from Harold M. Bennett
Object reference: RA 318B59
Type: Letter
Sender / Author: Harold M. Bennett
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 19.6.1925
Language: English
Transcription
June 19th, 1925
Capt. Roald Amundsen,
Spitzbergen, Norway
My dear Capt. Amundsen:-
Little can you imagine the interest that all of my friends have shown in the venture of you and your associates and I presume that due to the very attractive full page advertisement illustrated with the picture which your friends, Lomen Brothers, made and your letter about the Zeiss binoculars, hundreds of thousands of readers of the Geographic have been particularly interested in your flight. During the past few weeks one would think I had lost a very good friend from the number of consoling remarks people have made, the general opinion prevailing that Capt. Amundsen was lost, and just at the right time comes the wonderful news that you have returned safely with all of your companions.
I could not help but speculate as to whether during your flight the Carl Zeiss binocular has been of value to you. I confirm my our radio of to-day and sincerely hope that in due time you will let me know how the Zeiss glass worked out.
Cordially yours,
Harold M. Bennett [by hand]
Zeiss er det besste som nogensinde har vært Blev dessverre efterlatt.
[Handwritten in Norwegian — “Zeiss is the best ever . . . was sadly left behind.”]
Related resources
Letter, 29.6.1923, from Thora Hansen
Object reference: RA 318B56
Type: Letter
Sender / Author: Thora Hansen
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 29.6.1923
Language: Norwegian
English translation
Oslo 29 June 23
Captain Amundsen.
Finally, I am sending you a letter that I wrote to you five years ago. A letter and a pair of stockings. The letter and the stockings arrived in Nome two days too late, I believe. They came back here and your brother was gracious enough to return them and the letter to me.
Now, unfortunately, I have no stockings to send, but as the hands are empty so is the heart full; full of thanks to God who brought you back to us and thanks to you for all you have endured, for every minute of your outstanding hardships.
Your fervent devotee
Thora Hansen.
From the 1st of July, my address is Provstinde [Presbytera, the wife of a priest] Thora Hansen Sofienberg, Hundorp, Gudbrandsdalen. Otherwise, I live at – Sorgenfrig. 37 Oslo.
If Mr Amundsen wanted to send me a card – I would be delighted!
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Letter, 20.6.1925, from George Vibert Douglas
Object reference: RA 318B51
Type: Letter
Sender / Author: George Vibert Douglas
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 20.6.1925
Language: English
🔍Large image, RA 318B51 I
🔍Large image, RA 318B51 II
🔍Large image, RA 318B51 III
Transcription
To Northern Ontario
20/6/25.
Capt Roald Amundsen,
Dear Capt Amundsen,
Heartiest Congratulations
on your great trip.
Dont risk your precious
life on an old airplane.
If you are off again get
a new machine before
Side 2
starting and I also
suggest a light
winch for hauling
planes out of water.
I’m off on an Exploration
Survey for Ontario Gov.
and hope to hear of
your success when I
come back to civilisation
in Sept.
The best of luck &
all good wishes to
you.
The Gades were
Side 3
well when I left
Boston.
Sincerely Yours
G. Vibert Douglas.
(late of the Shackleton
Expedition)
Capt G. V. Douglas.
4193 Sherbrooke St. W.
Montreal.
Canada.
Related resources
Gjøa purchase contract, 19.1.1901
Object reference:
Type: Contract
Sender / Author: Hans Christian Johannesen
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 19.1.1901
Language: Norwegian
Translation
Copy
Purchase contract.
The undersigned Captain H.C. Johannesen and Captain Roald Amundsen hereby jointly declare today that they have entered into this contract.
I H.C. Johannessen hereby sell to Mr. Roald Amundsen my own hunting vessel “Gjøa” with its now associated inventory, Arctic hunting gear and casks, 2 – two – hunting boats and 1 – one – stern boat all in good safe condition for a purchase price of Kr. 9750 – nine thousand seven hundred and fifty kroner – whereof Kr. 2750 – two thousand seven hundred and fifty kroner – payable before the end of January, Kr. 2000 – two thousand kroner – by Mr. Amundsen’s arrival in Tromsø, and upon the ship’s takeover, the remaining amount Kr. 5000 – five thousand kroner – payable to Mr. Merchant Poul Figenschou with Kr. 1,000 per year <at> 5% interest, the first time.
I Roald Amundsen undertake to provide a sufficient self-debtor’s surety for Kr. 5,000 – five thousand kroner.
I H.C. Johannessen guarantee the vessel is free of encumbrances and the title is in order.
Authenticated Tromsø 19. Jan. 1901.
H.C. Johannesen
Related resources
Letter, 28.7.1925, from Arnfinn Heje
Object reference: RA 318B3
Type: Letter
Sender / Author: Arnfinn Heje
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 28.7.1925
Language: Norwegian
Translation
Mr Roald Amundsen,
“Svartskog”,
Oppegaard st.
Your most honourable [letter] of the 27th Dec. brought us your very kind and appreciative statement about our brand “Melange”, which is why we wish here to convey our best thanks.-
Arnfinn Heje
Related resources
Letter, 15.7.1925, from Sigvard Abrahamsen
Object reference: RA 318B10
Type: Letter
Sender / Author: Sigvard Abrahamsen
Recipient: Roald Amundsen
Date: 15.7.1925
Language: Norwegian
🔍Large image, RA 318B10 I
🔍Large image, RA 318B10 II
Translation
Mr. Captain Roald Amundsen.
I must be allowed to respectfully congratulate you on your newly completed and bold achievement, and at the same time wish you a warm welcome home – something that the Norwegian people have already said and shown en bloc. But when I, who am otherwise an extremely modest person, who would not otherwise have burdened you in your surely very busy state with any personal or private greeting apart from those that I had the great pleasure together with the many other thousands to bring you and your comrades now last Sunday, write these lines, it is not so much to push myself forward in the ranks of those who show personal attention as because I felt called somehow to write.
I am enclosing the first page of “B.Z. am Mittag” (a [Berlin tabloid] newspaper that belongs to Ullstein Verlag, the publisher that carried the reports from the Aeronautical Society). Here you will see your alleged “anti-German-ness” treated in accordance with how this matter is probably perceived for the most part by the German people outside the circle of pure nationalists. To this extent, the matter could be perfectly in order. I know the German people quite well, as I have lived in Berlin since 1916 as a journalist, first for three years as a correspondent for “Verdens Gang” and then as a correspondent for several European papers. I had therefore thought, due to the great interest shown by the German press and the German people in your just-completed journey, and due to the report of participation in Dr Eckener’s North Pole flight, which, according to the opinion of German magazines, has been brought closer to realization on the basis of your supposed participation, that in some way the German press should indicate that you harbour just as little grudge against the German people as the overwhelming majority of the German people bear grudge against you.
As I write this (on the spur of the moment, without careful consideration), I myself am not clear how such a statement should appear. But I have no doubt that if this took place in the form of an interview, with me or someone else who is known and has connections with the German press, so that the intended short statement could be published in the widest possible circle, which can best be done by handing over the statement to the official German telegram office (Wolff), where I am well known, [then] further discussion could be immediately stopped. And this, in my opinion, would be important now at such an early stage, before the preparations and
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fundraising for Dr Eckener’s North Pole expedition really begin.
I beg you not to take my respectful inquiry lightly. As mentioned, it has come from a spur of the moment intervention. And you certainly have enough competent advisers who can judge the matter.
I will shortly be returning to Germany after a long stay in Norway. And should I also be able to be of service to you in another way, during your upcoming journey over there or during the stay itself, it will of course be a great pleasure for me. As references, I can offer Dr Thommessen, “Tidens Tegn”, editor Bjørn Thommessen at the same place, and editors Frøis Frøisland and Thorstein Diesen in “Aftenposten”.
Most respectfully
Sigvard Abrahamsen [by hand]
SIGVARD ABRAHAMSEN
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