Sofia Elisabet Spångberg

Sofia Elisabet Spångberg (née Nilsson; 23 October 1898 – 9 April 1992) was a Swedish peace activist whose commitment to peace began in childhood during the 1905 Swedish-Norwegian union crisis. During World War II, she and her husband August Spångberg aided victims of the Nazi occupation of Norway and supported the Norwegian resistance movement, providing shelter for refugees and serving as couriers across the border, for which she was awarded King Haakon VII's Freedom Cross. Throughout her life, she was active in labor, peace, and temperance movements in Värmland, advocating for nuclear disarmament and international cooperation. She served in various leadership roles in local organizations, including women's clubs, cooperative guilds, and peace associations.
Sofia Elisabet Nilsson was born in Eda, Värmland, in 1898 to homestead owner Nils Nilsson and Maria Nilsdotter. She received a primary school education (småskola and folkskola) and was confirmed in the Lutheran church in 1913.
Her first formative experience with war came during the Swedish-Norwegian dissolution when, as a seven-year-old student, she witnessed soldiers marching past her school window. Her teacher warned the children about the possibility of war, causing many to cry. In a 1987 interview, Sofia recalled how a Swedish soldier visiting her family picked up her eight-month-old brother from his crib, saying "I have one like this at home" before starting to cry. This emotional moment had a profound impact on her: "From that time on, I probably got something inside me that war was something terrible and we shouldn't have it."
In 1910, she began working at Tiedemanns tobacco factory in Charlottenberg at age twelve, below the legal working age. Her working days were long, starting at six in the morning and ending around six-thirty in the evening, with only Sundays off.
In 1916, Sofia became secretary of the Charlottenberg division of the Social Democratic Youth Club (Socialdemokratiska ungdomsklubben or SDUK), which she helped establish. The club was heavily involved in peace activism and eventually grew to over a hundred members. At their first meeting, they sang the pacifist anthem "Why should people fight?" (Varför skola mänskor strida?) and hosted the prominent activist Kata Dahlström who gave a lecture on peace. Together with her future husband August Spångberg, Sofia led the Children's Guild (Charlottenbergs Barngille), a pre-school organization teaching children principles of democracy and solidarity. August described their work: "I and a female club member, Sofia Nilsson, were chosen to lead the Children's Guild in Charlottenberg. The Children's Guild grew and received regular grants from some of the local trade union organizations."
During 1918, Sofia witnessed both refugees from the Finnish Civil War arriving in Eda and the devastating impact of the Spanish flu pandemic, which claimed so many lives that she recalled thirteen funerals taking place in Eda on a single Sunday.
Sofia Nilsson married August Spångberg on July 9, 1921, in a civil ceremony, and their son Arne was born in 1922. August wrote: "Then there was a welcome addition to our family, with a boy on November 6. Both his mother and I had read Björnstierne. Inspired by his stories, our boy was named Arne."
When August was elected to parliament in 1922, the family periodically lived in Stockholm while maintaining their home in Värmland.
Throughout her life, Sofia was active in labor, peace, and temperance movements in Eda. She served as secretary of the IOGT-NTO lodge Förgätmigej (Forget-me-not), a temperance society, and treasurer of the Eda peace society. She also founded the Social Democratic Women's Club and the Cooperative Women's Guild in Charlottenberg.
Sofia eventually joined the Charlottenberg church council, which governed educational and church affairs, but she could not serve on the municipal council on which her husband served due to rules prohibiting spouses from serving simultaneously.
When Germany occupied Norway in 1940, the Spångbergs became active in the Norwegian resistance movement. Their home served as a meeting place for couriers crossing the border, providing food and shelter for refugees. Despite her pacifist principles, Sofia supported resistance efforts while rejecting involvement with the Swedish female defense corps, stating she wanted to "work for peace, not abet war."
Sofia was candid about their dangerous activities: "We had a lot of illegal things going for us. We had couriers here who crossed the border. Sometimes maybe with weapons. Even though I was a peace lover, I knew it was needed. If the Germans had come over, we would have been shot." She also recalled German planes flying over the border and one being shot down over Åmotfors in Eda municipality, though "it was all so secret." The couple faced additional danger from a neighbor who Sofia believed spied on them for the Germans.
The illegal work carried significant legal risks for the Spångbergs. August wrote: "Alongside the authorities and government agencies, necessary connections were established with reliable people who were willing to help in Norway's fight against Nazism without compensation." They faced potential imprisonment if caught aiding the resistance, as the Swedish penal code had neutrality provisions against activities that could "damage the friendly relations of the Reich with a foreign power." Despite these dangers, Sofia helped store illegal radio equipment and secret documents in their home, activities that could have resulted in severe penalties if discovered by authorities.
In August 1946, the Border Club (Gränseklubben) was established, bringing together Swedish and Norwegian members of their wartime resistance group. At the first gathering, Sofia received King Haakon VII's Freedom Cross, while August received the Order of St. Olav. Sofia noted that many of their Norwegian resistance colleagues went on to distinguished careers: "Of the Norwegians in our group, one became ambassador to India, one was an editor and two were teachers."
August described the club's significance: "We agreed to somehow preserve the memory of our joint activities in the Norwegian resistance movement during the years of unrest. To this end, an association was formed with Swedish and Norwegian members."
In 1963, she re-established the Eda peace association, serving as treasurer for 16 years and campaigning against nuclear weapons and militarization. In her later years, she expressed concern about the resurgence of Nazism in Europe.
The Spångbergs traveled extensively in the post-war period. In 1953, they visited England, Holland and West Germany. In 1955, the Spångbergs traveled to America on what August called a "family trip," visiting relatives who had previously immigrated.
In the summer of 1962, Sofia and August Spångberg represented Svenska Fredskommittén (Swedish Peace Committee) at the World Congress for General Disarmament and Peace in Moscow. The congress brought together 2000 delegates from about 100 nations to address global issues, particularly nuclear disarmament. Sofia Spångberg met Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who delivered a keynote address.
The couple also visited Hungary (1961), Romania (1964), East Germany (1964), and Switzerland, Austria, Yugoslavia, and Italy (1965). August summarized their travels: "I will complete my short stories of travel in the West and East in the post-war period... with a mention that everywhere we have been received as friends, everywhere we have met people whose greatest wish has been to live and to live in peace."
Sofia Spångberg died on April 9, 1992—exactly 52 years after Norway's occupation began. She is buried at Eda church alongside August.
Her life exemplified committed activism for peace and social justice, particularly during the dangerous wartime period when such activities carried significant personal risk. A taped interview with Sofia from April 1, 1987, a few months before her husband's death, is preserved by the Association Archives in Värmland (Föreningsarkivet i Värmland), a cultural heritage institution.