The 103-year-old electrician who climbed out of the window and had a coffee break

You once short-circuit the entire Ulricehamns Sparbank

No no! On the contrary, I was the one who put a stop to the madness.

Oh really?

Yes, it was a long time ago, and the bank was undergoing upgrades, including dual supply feeds. It was a big job, so a high-ranking person from the municipal electricity company, Elverket, was there and had figured out how it would be done. In the bank's basement, he gave me a long explanation about it. When he was done, I said that we can't do it that way. He stared at me and said, we're the ones supplying the electricity, now do as you’re told. I explained to him that if we did it his way, we would short-circuit the entire bank. He fell silent, and after thinking for a while, he said, let's forget about this and we walked away. He probably realized I was right.

Sounds like he was the wrong person in the wrong place

No, not at all. He was good at his job and had a strong grasp of the theoretical aspect, but in reality, theory and practice don't always align. That's why it's important to be receptive and listen to experience. He had the sense to understand that, so we were good friends; we had coffee and talked a lot even after retirement. One day, he invited me to visit his summer cottage and have some coffee. It turned out he had wired the entire cottage himself and wanted my opinion on why it wasn't working now that it was done. I walked through at a leisurely pace, examining the entire installation. He followed impatiently behind, and when I had seen everything, he burst out, is it really that bad? I replied, we can cut the cable at the incoming power and start over. Then I stayed there for a few days to clean up the mess. He wanted us to never speak about it, but it's been so long, and he's no longer around, unfortunately.

But is it true that you received the key to the city of Ulricehamn?

Haha, no, but I'm probably the only outsider who got the key to the power station, Elverket, and could move around freely there when I needed to for work. After building five high-voltage substations, being part of building the landmark Sparbankshuset, preventing the above-mentioned short circuit, installing the classic Bogesunds Väveri sign, wiring countless homes in Ulricehamn, and keeping the local industries running, maybe I earned some trust and a bit of leeway.

What happened next?

I saw an ad in the Jönköpingsposten newspaper that they were looking for industrial electricians in Ulricehamn, so I took my friend and went there on my motorcycle. We both got jobs at Bergman & Johansson. My friend quit after 1.5 years, but I stayed with the company for 21 years. One day, a manager at the company was showing me how to install a "kulo" connector. He showed me how to measure the length first and then go out and cut a cable of the same length. When he came back in, there was half a meter missing. He realised it and said, now I'm closing the door, and you'll have to figure it out yourself and he left. He was probably a bit embarrassed, I think.

The electrician profession looks very different now; back then, there were always two people on every job. Mainly because things were much heavier and more cumbersome then, like long metal pipes and such, but it also meant that we learned from each other, had fun together, and it was a safety guarantee in case anything happened.

Any other nearby companies you've had contact with?

Absolutely, the Ölsremmadosa came from Ölsremma as well. They were designed for embedding and had no fasteners; it was a pain to stand in people's basements and chip away lightweight concrete to secure them into the walls. We also used to use blixtklammer, but they were later banned because they risked hitting the cable and causing a short circuit. It was a wise decision to ban them, but I felt sorry for the families in Småland who were sitting at their kitchen tables making those blixtklammer; it was tough for them.

Not to be repetitive, but no other local companies?

Well, now I understand what you're getting at. Yes, there was a man in Grimsås who was involved in peat harvesting in the bogs there. Back then, peat was used for heating, but after the war, oil replaced peat, and the man had to come up with something new. He started IKO Kabel (now Nexans, author's note), and it went well for him too. Beneficial for the whole region, and it's impressive that they still employ so many people over there. I've visited the factory a handful of times, but the last time was probably in the 80s.

Urban: I was with you that time, dad.

Oh, did you get to go along? You see, the kids also need to learn.

Speaking of your son Urban, how was it to employ your son who eventually took over the company?

His school teacher once asked me, to what should we educate Urban? I looked at her and replied, he should become an electrician like his father. I knew it was a good job with consistent employment, and the boy was good at physics and crafts, so there was no doubt. We had stopped using HVG knob-and-tube wires by the time he started, but he got to help set up "kulo" cables. Originally, the "kulo" cables had a seam, and I was very particular about teaching him to twist it inward so that it wouldn't show. When they eliminated the seam in production, I told him that being an electrician was no longer a craft.

Do you have other examples that point in the same direction?

Back then, there were no mobile phones, emails, or the like, so when I came home in the evenings, my wife often had to place a plate over my dinner to keep it warm; there was a lot of calling between 6 and 9 PM. That was the only time you could call and reach workers, so that was my telephone time. Transportation wasn't as advanced then as it is today. You ordered the materials you thought you'd need and stocked up your inventory, which could last for many months. So, initially, Urban was tasked with unloading those deliveries into the warehouse, among other things. It could take him a whole day; there were so many things. Nowadays, he orders what he needs for one job in the afternoon and has the materials at the company the next morning.

Last summer, you got to cut the ribbon and inaugurate the new premises

The construction of Sparbankshuset in Ulricehamn in 1964-65 was the turning point for me. After that project, I wanted to become my own. So, after 21 years at Bergman & Johansson, I resigned, continued my studies, got certified, and started Elmontage together with Carl Erik Carlström. It was an immense feeling of freedom, although you should know that Bergman wasn't too pleased with me for this. Urban took over in 1992, and this year, it was time to clean out dads old storage. He needed to clear out so much old clutter. This new premises is bright, nice and he was able to customize it entirely to his and the company's current needs.

Do you have any advice for those considering becoming electricians today?

Go for it. It's an incredibly varied and good job. If you show initiative, you'll always have work.

What about turning 100 years old?

It's not really that fun, but I'm doing well. I moved to elderly care when I was 102 years old. There, I'm taken care of, fed, and have a nice room. But everything is so hurried nowadays; there's too little staff, so no one has time for anything other than rushing through the basics. And there's no one to talk about electricity with. I miss the freedom.

Sounds a bit like a teenager's dream of a car and their own place

I drove a car until I was 98 years old; then, I broke my hip, and my children thought that was enough. When the highway between Borås and Ulricehamn was inaugurated, they told me not to drive on it. But I did take a little drive to see how the car performed on the new asphalt.

Safety first, I hope

Absolutely. Safety is important; that's why having two people on the jobs so good. At one job, one of the electricians drank a bit too much, and one day, he was supposed to work with high voltage, but he was so hungover that he was practically drunk. So, I told him to give me the key, go home, and come back the next morning. He handed me the key and went home that day. I think it saved his life. The next day, he was sober and got the key back. Even though I wasn't responsible for him, you have to take care of your fellow human beings. Or, like when the lodge I'm a part of needed to rewire the church. The only way to install a new cable was in the crawl space beneath, but it was extremely tight down there; there was no way to turn around and come back out.

You are certainly tough. If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?

Nothing; I would live the exact same life again!