Many friends, relatives and followers of this site have recently asked me about the significance of Vardo, a small town off the Norwegian coast and why it warranted a mention.  I should have explained at the time that Thyge Andersen Enevoldsen's trawler ran aground off the coast of Vardo on 6th March 1933.  It was Vardo that the surviving crew members were taken and indeed the local Vardo hospital were they received medical attention.

Harold Dean Enevoldson was one of the survivors and as Thyge's son it must have been a traumatic experience for him to observe his Father waving farewell before the trawler sank.  On 8th March 1933, the Fiskerhjemmet Betel of Vardo visited the survivors in hospital.  In a letter to Thyge's wife, he writes that he had the opportunity "to talk a little to the two young men who lay there, and who were so distressed after 12 hours terrible experience in terrific snowstorm and stormy sea"

He continues by explaining that Harold Enevoldson had asked him to pray for his father and for him.  After praying Harold explained that his Father was a good Christian.  The prayers appear to have provided Harold with some consolation and the Fiskerhjemmet Betel thought that Harold's young heart, so torn by sorrow, received some comfort from the words of God.

By the time of writing the letter the young Harold was out of danger, only his fingers were "still a little dead after being frostbitten".  Given that Harold was only wearing a few clothes it was a miracle that he survived such an ordeal.  He was terribly distressed and spoke the whole time of his Father, and even at the hospital even when he was nearly unconscious and being attended to by the medical staff he spoke of his Father.

The source of the above is taken from a letter that Fiskerhjemmet Betel wrote to Gertrude Enevoldson dated 8th March 1933.  The original letter was recently donated by Helen Enevoldson to the Hull History Centre.