Figure 1.--Palle Daell, a wealthy Danish wholesaler, wanted to help Finnish children to escape the consequences of war. In 1942 he sent an invitation to Finland, offering to host a 6-month stay in Denmark for 25 children from the town of Oulu, where he had personal business contacts. A former nursing home was turned over to the children. They had a small lake here they could play. Here they seem to have gome to the beach. Here they are with the Finish minders that came with them..

We do not have much information on the Finnish child evacuees placed in Denmark yet. Other than Sweden, Denmark was the Scandinvian country lest affected by the War. Although occupied by the Germans, there were no battles in Denmark. And except for a few pro-NAZI Fascists, the Danes did not have to fight the War. Thus conditions were better in Denmark including the avilability of food than in Finland and Norway. Some 4,000 Finnish evacuee children were placed in Demark. We have however only limited information about them. We note mothes with babies and young children retuning to Denmark after a peace treaty was signed with the Soviet Union ending the Winter war (March 1940). This was shortly before the German invasion (April 1940). More Finnish children wree plaved in Dnmark when Finmrk laubxhed the Continution War with the Sivets as opaet of the massibe German Babbarossa offensive (June 1941). The 4,000 Finnish children placed in Denmark were a small fractions of the numbers placed in Sweden. We are not enitrely sure why the Danes took in fewer Finnish children thn the Swedes. Denmark was a smaller country thn weden and occupied by the Germans. Both could have been factars. Perhaps the Danes were less willing than the Swedes for some reason. We just do not know. As far as we know, the Germans had nothing to do with the decision. The Finns after all were co-beligerants with the Germans in the Eastern campaign against the Soviet Union. We have found a report about a private summer camp for Finnish children. Palle Daell, a wealthy Danish wholesaler wanted to help Finnish children escape the consequences of war. In 1942 he sent an invitation to Finland, offering to host a 6-month stay in Denmark for 25 children from the town of Oulu, where he had personal business contacts. Conditions in Denmark were far better than in Finland which was involved in a life and death struggle with the Soviets.

German Ocupation: Home Front Conditions (1940-45)

We do not have much information on the Finnish child evacuees placed in Denmark yet. Other than Sweden, Denmark was the Scandinvian country lest affected by the War. The primary reason was the limited resistance abd Nordic ethnicity of the Danes. The NAZIs classified them as a racuially valuave population. Although occupied by the Germans, there were no battles fought in Denmark. And the Germans conducted a show case occupation--at least in NAZI terms. And except for a few pro-NAZI Fascists, the Danes did not have to fight the War. There wereonly a few Allied air raids. Thus conditions were better in Denmark including the avilability of food than in either Finland and Norway. Denmark was a food exporting country before the War and thus even with required shioments to the Reich, the Danes were in better shape than almost all of Europe. Conditions in Denmark were far better than in Finland which was involved in a life and death struggle with the Soviets.

Finnish Child Refugees

Some 4,000 Finnish evacuee children were placed in Demark during World War II. We have however only limited information about them. We note mothers with babies and young children retuning to Denmark after a peace treary was signed with the Soviet Union ending the Winter War (March 1940). This was shortly before the German invasion (April 1940). More Finnish children wree placed in Denmark when Finland launched the Continuation War with the Soviets as part of the massibe German Babbarossa offensive (June 1941). The 4,000 Finnish children placed in Denmark were a small fractions of the numbers placed in Sweden. We are not enitrly sure why the Danes took in fewer Finnish children thn the Swedes. Denmark was a smaller country thn weden and occupied by the Germans. Both could have been factars. Perhaps the Danes were less willing than the Swedes for some reason. We just do not know. As far as we know, the Germans had nothing to do with the decision. The Finns after all were co-beligerants with the Germans in the Eastern campaign against the Soviet Union.

Residential Arrangements

We do not have much information on the residential arrangemenrs for the Finnish refugee children in Denmark. Many of the children cared for in Sweden were taken in by families and cared for in private homes. It was a rare country in NAZI occupied Europe where families could take in another mouth to feed. There was also residential care for the children. This was in part because they were not in good physical condition and needed medical care. Denmark took in a smaller number of Finish children. And we relatively few images of the children in Denmark. And we have no written assessment of the Danish effort. We note one reference to Danish families taking in Fnnish children. So far we have no images of the Finnish children being cared for at home. We have found one school image which we think may mean that the children were boatded in some kind if institution arrangement rather than homes. Unfortunately we just do not nuch information on how the children were cared.

Private Summer Camp

We have found a report about a private summer camp for Finnish children. This is the only detailed informatiomn we have bout the Finnish refugee children in Denmark. Palle Daell, a wealthy Danish wholesaler wanted to help Finnish children escape the consequences of war. In 1942 he sent an invitation to Finland, offering to host a 6-month stay in Denmark for 25 children from the town of Oulu, where he had personal business contacts. There were among other problems, serious food shortages. As a result, 25 children, 13 boys and 12 girls from the city, traveled to Denmark with three young women. The kids were aged 4-11 years. They came from families of war widows or where the father was at the front. The journey by train started on March 23, 1942. When the children and their escorts arrived in Elsinore on March 26 they were welcomed by Palle Daell with his family and a small 'reception committee' and a few journalists. The children stayed a few kilometers from Elsinore, where previously there had been a nursing home. Upon arrival a few children were ill, everyone was pale and undernourished, but with little medicine and a good diet they quickly recovered their health. The daily routine started in the morning with washing, dressing and cleaning the rooms. Then came a good breakfast, a moment of teaching, and then a lot of play and outdoor activities. For school the children were divided into three groups. They were taught in Finnish. From a Montessori school there was help for the youngeer children, including games and activity training. On many hot summer days the children could stay all day swimming and playing by an adjacent small lake. Some enterprising boys built simple wooden boats and paddled around the lake. The host family had provided the children with summer clothes. For the trip home in October, the children also were given a complete set of winter clothes. The trip home went by boat to Sweden and then train through Sweden.

Created: 11:33 AM 2/26/2016
Last updated: 9:10 AM 4/20/2020