Kaare Hansen (abt. 1916 - 1942)

Born about 1916 in Vennesla, Vest-Agder, Norway

Died 1 Jul 1942 at about age 26 in At Sea

Biography

Kaare Hansen was a Prisoner of War during World War II.

Kaare Hansen died as a prisoner of war on the Montevideo Maru during the Second World War.

Kaare was born in about 1916 in Vennesla, Norway, son of Anna Seljasen.

He was 2nd Cook on the Norwegian registered freighter "Herstein" when it was bombed and sunk by the Japanese in Rabaul Harbour, Territory of New Guinea in Jan 1942. When the Japanese invaded he was captured at Kokopo near RAbaul and interned as a civilian prisoner. Although Norway and Japan were not beligerents in the War, the crew of the "Herstein" were treated as hostile, probably because they had defended the ship with deck guns when they were bombed.

He died on board the "Montevideo Maru" when it was torpedoed and sunk off the coast of the Philippines on 01 Jul 1942, en route from Rabaul to Hainan, where he was destined for forced labour.

Sources

• Death Form - National Archives of Australia - Defence - General - Information of deaths for persons lost on the MONTEVIDEO MARU - https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=102239&S=83

• Crew of the "Herstein" - http://www.warsailors.com/POWs/pows2.html#herstein

• Memorial - d A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGC-37GG : 13 December 2015), Kaare Hansen, 1942; Burial, Stavern, Larvik kommune, Vestfold fylke, Norway, Merchant Marine Memorial; citing record ID 117364449, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• Red Cross inquiry card - (2017-06-18). Hansen, Kaare, [No Service Number]. - https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/226240774