108-year-old Eila Hukkanen named Lotta of the Year

A 108-year-old woman from Kouvola, Eila Hukkanen, has been awarded the title of Lotta of the Year for her dedicated service during Finland’s wartime years, reports Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

Hukkanen served as a supply and medical Lotta during the wars and later worked in clerical and confidential defence roles. The Lotta Svärd Foundation, which grants the annual award, praised her as an exemplary figure representing the commitment of Finnish women in voluntary national defence.

“When I asked Eila what the Lotta values—faith, home, and fatherland—mean to her, she replied, ‘absolutely everything,’” said Anne Nurminen, executive director of the foundation.

Born in Viipuri in December 1917, Hukkanen joined the Lotta Svärd organisation at the outbreak of the Winter War in 1939. She worked as a supply Lotta in Enso and Tainionkoski, later assisting in Helsinki during the Interim Peace. In 1941, she coded transport instructions for Soviet prisoners of war at the Home Troops headquarters. During the Continuation War in 1944, she served as a medical Lotta in Nastola.

Hukkanen still lives independently in her Kouvola row house with support from her youngest daughter and home care services. The Lotta of the Year award has been presented annually since 2007.