"Erik Lowendale was born as Erik Gustaf Konstantin Löfvendahl in Lundby parish, Uddevalla, Sweden, on March 1st, 1891. He was raised by his mother Hedda Maria Andersson Löfvendahl and his father Johan Alfred Andersson. Erik had six siblings.

Erik’s father died in October 1900, when Erik was nine years old, and the children grew up with their mother. His mother Hedda was also called Hulda according to the Swedish church books from the period.

It is not known when Erik left Sweden, but he was a sailor, and belonged to the Uddevalla Naval Corps, when he is noted as absent in the Swedish Church Books around 1915.

Erik signed his Military attestation papers in March 1916, but there are also some notes in the New Zealand criminal records from 1915, so he must have left Sweden earlier than 1915. As many other Swedish born individuals, who were sailors, Erik may have jumped ship in New Zealand, reason unknown.

Erik settled down at Stewart Islands, south of the Southern Island, New Zealand. he stated his profession was a fisherman. 

In his attestation papers he wrote that he was born in Lerwick, but that should most likely be Lervik, outside Strömstad, north of Uddevalla, on the Swedish West Coast. He could of course also has stated the town of Lerwick, Shetland Island, as he may have sailed there on his journey as a sailor. Who knows.

In the CWGC archive it says that he is born at Lovendal, but that should be “as Lovendal”. Her[e] you can also see that his mother is called Hulda instead of Hedda, as mentioned in the text above.

Erik was killed in action on April 11th, 1918, when he was fighting with his unit in the area between Hédauville and Ancre Valley, north of Albert, in France. He is today buried in Englebelmer Communal Cemetery Extension, France." [Source: https://www.westernfront.se/2025/08/03/who-was-erik-lowendale-nzef-stori..., Accessed: 8/12/2025]