Norway's Buckie link celebrated as intrepid voyage marks invasion anniversary
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BUCKIE'S key role in providing a safe haven for Norwegians fleeing the Nazis during World War II has been commemorated by a team of sailors from the Scandanavian nation.
A four-man crew comprising Jarle Føreland, Frode Stokkeland, Willy Pedersen and Tony Teigland set sail from Kristiansand on a seven metre (23 foot) open motorboat Fri IV, arriving in Buckie Harbour on Saturday, April 16 after a 200-mile voyage.
They were escorted to their berth by Buckie's RNLI lifeboat William Blannin while a traditional Scottish welcome, including two pipers and an enthusiastic crowd of wellwishers waving Norwegian flags, awaited at the quayside. Members of the Norwegian Church in Aberdeen were also at the quayside to greet their compatriots.
The quartet were presented with an official letter of welcome from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Frances McKay, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Banffshire.
Originally planned for April 2020 to coincide with the 75th anniversary for VE (Victory in Europe) Day, the trip had to be postponed due to the Covid pandemic.
During the war, Buckie became known as Little Norway due to the number of Norwegians given shelter in the town. Indeed, such was the number of refugees that Buckie boasted its very own Norwegian consulate at one point.
Helping preparations on this side of the North Sea was Portgordon man Prof Peter Reid, who was one of those on hand to greet the visitors at Buckie Harbour. Over the last few years he has been the driving force behind a project detailing the experiences of Norwegian and Danish refugees, as well as their descendants.
Prof Reid said the original plans for the commemoration were drawn up after he was contacted out of the blue in 2019 by a historian at the Akivet, the Norwegian Archive for Peace and Human Rights, based in Kristiansand.
“Bjørn Tore Rosendahl is the expert on Norwegian sailors during the Second World War and had been put in touch with me by Aberdeen Maritime Museum because of my Little Noway research,” he continued.
“In the course of the conversation we had on Skype, he mentioned that there was a local group in Kristiansand who wanted to take a boat over to Scotland in April 2020 to mark the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Norway and then the subsequent escape – on similar little boats – of so many Norwegians to Scotland.
“Little Norway in Buckie seemed a good fit and a lot of the Buckie stories are less well known."
Prof Reid went on to say that a number of factors, including Covid regulations in both the UK and Norway and weather conditions over the North Sea meant that the commemorative crossing did not happen until this April.
While the Fri IV looked a frail craft to attempt a North Sea crossing in, Prof Reid said it was in just such a craft that many Norwegians relied on to escape with their lives.
He continued: "One of the driving forces of the crossing was that Bjorn wanted to use a craft similar to the ones utilised by Norwegians escaping to Scotland.
"Indeed, there were even smaller boats, carrying perhaps two people, which were used.
"It was an emotional moment seeing these four intrepid sailors arrive arrive, especially after all the postponements of the last two years. There as a lump in my throat. It meant a lot that they had chosen Buckie to commemorate the anniversaries – a lot of the focus is on Shetland and the Shetland Bus, so it was hugely gratifying to see Buckie's role recognised in this way."
Prof Reid noted that Dumfries was the third major focus for Norwegian war refugees, the town acting as a base for elements of the Norwegian Army who had made it out.
There was, he said, a permanent legacy in Buckie of the Norwegian presence, with many refugees deciding to settle down in the town and have families.
Prof Reid went on to pay tribute to Archie Jamieson for his role in organising the pipers and the presence of caterers The Heilan Coo and Buckie councillor Sonya Warren for her help and support for the project.
Councillor Warren, who was unable to be present at the ceremony due to attending her son's wedding, commented: "I was just delighted to see this finally happen.
"Peter has put in so much work into the Little Norway story and it was so disappointing that Covid prevented this intrepid journey happening in 2020.
"The Norwegian crew have shown such determination and resilience in making this journey to make people aware of the story, bringing it to life and keeping the connection with Norway very much alive in people's minds.
"The story of Little Norway is such an important one for us to remember."
Reading an official letter of greeting to the people of Buckie from Norwegian Minister of Defence Odd Roger Enoksen, Mr Teigland said: “Even though the Second World War ended 77 years ago, experiences from that war are still valuable to learn from today.
"One of them is the importance of having friends across borders and oceans when one’s freedom is threatened or taken away.
"This was the case when Norway was invaded by Nazi Germany in 1940. More than 3300 Norwegians escaped to Great Britain by crossing the North Sea in all kinds of weather and under the danger of being captured by the German police or military.
"Nearly 100 escaped from the southern region of Agder in small wooden boats, like the boat carrying this letter.”
He went on to highlight that the welcome offered in Buckie all those decades ago made the Norwegians in exile “feel like allies, and not like aliens”.
Quoting from the letter, Mr Teigland added: "With this letter I wish to express my gratitude to the people of Buckie for their great hospitality to Norwegians during the Second World War and their effort to keep the historical bonds to Norway and Norwegians alive today.
"It is my hope that this small wooden boat carrying this letter can serve as a reminder of the decisive role, Buckie, Scotland and Great Britain played in Norway's five year-long struggle for freedom.
"Moreover, may this also serve as an inspiration for a continued special relationship between our nations and our people."
The letter is to be put on display in Buckie Fishing Heritage Centre Ltd, as is the stern flag from the Fri IV.
To find out more about Buckie’s role as Little Norway, visit Prof Reid’s website http://www.littlenorway.org.uk
The town also gave shelter to a number of Danes who, like their Norwegian comrades, fled to Scotland to escape the Nazi war machine.
