This is my Great Grandfather, Unteroffizier Frederik Christensen Skaarup, born in 1889 in Aals, Denmark. Prior to The Great War, much of Danish territory was occupied by Germany, and so all Danes were subject to compulsory military service. He was conscripted to the German Army Reserve in 1910 to 1912 with the Cavalry, eventually becoming a dispatch rider. He turned down an officers commission, believing that to do so would be to accept the German subjugation of Denmark. He was eventually transferred to the 22nd Westfalian Field Artillery for the outbreak of WWI. Serving in France and Belgium he was wounded a number of times. Once his battery was hit by an artillery shell, killing everyone except himself. Covered in the innards and viscera of 6 horses and several other men, he still managed to report for duty. In 1916 as a dispatch rider his unit was cut off by the French for two days and nights. Trapped in a defensive position behind enemy lines, he was able to get his entire unit to safety. During their escape his horse was hit by an artillery shell, blowing its head off. For his role in helping the unit escape, he was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class. Frederik was reported killed in action twice, in telegrams sent home to his wife, yet much to everyones surprise kept showing up for duty. During the outbreak of Spanish Flu he was presumed dead and placed in a field hospital. Said hospital was shelled about five times blowing off the roof. The falling rain woke him up and he figured it was time to get out of dodge, eventually making his way back to his unit for the remainder of the War. He returned home to begin a business in making carriages. After this didnt particularly work out, he and his family emigrated to Canada in 1926 to the farmhouse my family still occupies. Seems I come from quite a long line of folk with horseshoe up their ass. Post-Script: Dat Moustasche. Source: New Brunswick Hussar, Harold Skaarup
Posted on: Sun, 30 Mar 2014 21:11:27 +0000