UBB.threads Forums General Interest Collector's Showcase Little Norway - RNAF Training in Canada

In 1940, after the Germans invaded Norway, the King of Norway, Haakon 7, led a govenment in exile and escaped to Britain.

Shortly after, arrangements were made to set up a training camp in Canada just outside of Toronto. This camp, called Little Norway, was set up for the sole purpose of training Norwegian flight crew to fly planes to fight against the Germans. The graduates of this flight school went on to Britain where most of them ended up in Norwegian designated units of the RAF. During its existence, from 1940 until shut down in 1952, 2500 men were trained at Little Norway. In total, the RNAF, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, in Britain lost 335 men during the course of the war.

Here are some links to this topic:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Norway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Norwegian_Air_Force

http://www.arkivverket.no/eng/Themes/World-War-II/Norway-in-exile/The-Air-Force

There were two training camps in Canada that made up Little Norway, the camp on the outskirts of Toronto and another camp, established in 1942 in the Muskokas, north of Toronto. This northern camp was also knows as 'Vesle Skaugum'.

Over the next while, I will post for you a neat collection that I just acquired with a Little Norway theme.

There will be no method to my postings, as I figure out what is what, they will appear here.

First up is an RNAF veteran pin. It is tamped in the back as NO 456.

John

As stated before, Vesle Skaugum was the name given to the training and sports facility set up north of Toronto in the Muskokas.

Here is a patch from there.

I also picked up a letter mailed from Little Norway with this stamped on the cover as well as the censor stamp. From 1943, this is a neat addition to the Little Norway collection that I managed to score off e-ban.

These two items are stampings used at Little Norway.

I have reversed the shot of the stamps so that you can see what each says.

Until 1944, there were actually two official groups training in Little Norway, the Army and the Navy each had their own Air Forces.

Here is an Army grouping.

Here is a Navy Grouping.

In 1944, the two Air Forces were merged officially into the Royal Norwegain Air Force, although they were really operating as such even before then.

Here is a series of pilot's badges.

These badges were sold to raise money for fallen members of the RNAF.

Here is the night bell plaque for the RNAF

Here is a sweetheart pin.

This is a cigarette case dated 1942 and Little Norway.

That is a nice box John, what is the size?

Landser:

The case measures in inches 6.5 x 4.5 x 1.5 (or in cm 17 x 11.5 x 4).

Here are a couple of shots of the proofmarks on the side of the case.

John

This grouping belonged to one graduate of the Little Norway training school.

It consists of a coat button, an H7 badge (to indicate resistance to the Quisling government and the German occupying forces.. private purchase item), Norway shoulder patch, pilot breast eagle, shoulder strap and pilot's badge.

John

This is a key tag for the attic space at Little Norway.

And these are some kind of sports awards given out at Little Norway.

John, based on the measurements and interior, are you certain this is a cigarette case and not a cigar box.

Absolutely beautiful box. Would fit in any collection.

Unusual, certainly museum worthy!

Nice and interesting items/grouping. I have not seen such before.

could be a cigar box Jim...my superkings are not that big!

And, here are some more pins that were sold to raise money for the families of fallen RNAF soldiers.

This is an RNAF Police Badge.

Here are some misc items and pins and badges

Interesting item from 1943 Christmas.

RNAF Pins and Badges

And, a Pathfinder Pin

Here are some shoulder insignia and arm patches

More Patches

Some Pilot's Badges

Two more RNAF items in cloth

And, last, for now, are these two rank insignia for the RNAF.

Signing off for now... good hunting to you all.

John

Quite a collection Very Nice.

Here they are together.

John

Nice stuff,John.
Didn't know about Little Norway.Thanks for sharing.

Gerd

Just in from the SOS, I found this cased and very neat RAF Sweetheart pin. While strictly speaking not quite Little Norway, still goes well with the other sweetheart pin above.

John

Very nice!

Little Norway and the free Norwegians were supported by many countries in the world. There was a program called Wings for Norway that raised money in many countries of the Americas. This money was used to buy trainer aircraft for the training camp called Little Norway.

On June 13, 1942, there was a special recital at Carnegie Hall featuring Norwegian artists and whose purpose was to raise money for the Wings for Norway program.

Here is the official concert program for that day.

John

I was in Norway recently and my brother-in-law found this item for me.

While not period, it sure is a tasty addition to my Little Norway collection.

John

Nice stuff John,congrats

Once more, I have just returned from a trip to Norway with quite a bag of goodies.

Two RNAF / Little Norway items came home with me.

The first is a small songbook used by the RNAF and printed in Little Norway, Canada.

The second is a stylized lion that we think was a private pruchase item made in England and used to generate funds and support for the Norwegian war effort. The neat thing about this is that it comes in its original case.

John

The Little Norway camp in Toronto and Muskoka had their own little newspaper-magazine.

I managed to get 6 of them dated from April, 1944 to February, 1945. This last one was the final magazine issued and it celebrated the closing of the camp and the transfer of the personnel to England.

They are:

April
September
October
November
December, 1944
February, 1945

The blue book celebrating Little Norway came with a wrapper... which is almost never seen today.

There were several songbooks printed in Toronto for the Norwegian armed forces.

First, there is a song book for former members of the Scouts who were in the armed forces.

Then, there is a 1940 dated songbook and also a later songbook.

One of the trainees at the Little Norway Training Camp was a collector of Canadian souvenirs related to his stay there.

Here are:

Wiiliam Dow beer label
Yukon Club ginger ale label
Turners Blend fruit wine label
Canada Dry ginger ale label
FTL savings book
Montreal military visitor guide
Ontario beer ration coupons booklet

J

I recently received this largish collection from a student at Little Norway. He studied aircraft engineering and was in the RNAF police there as well.

1st up are his books,

Aeronautical Engineering
Allied and Enemy Aircraft Recognition
Norway 1943
Songbook
Standard Technical Training

Next up:

H7 Cap Badge... H7 stands for Haakon 7, the king in exile
Norway armpatch
Police whistle
A rank recognition folder

Cap Insignia
Hat Badges
Little Norway stationary

There was a gala for the RNAF police held at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on March of 1943.

Here are pictures of:

The invitation to the gala
The menu from the gala
A posed shot and detail of the attendees to the gala.

Neat, huh?

Very cool collection!

Yes, really a neat collection.

Dave

I've walked the grounds many a time..Part of Toronto's great history...the area has really changed since the 40's..

I am not certain that this is a Little Norway item or an item that was used by the Norway Diplomatic people, but I do know that this was made by the Toronto jeweler, Lackie, who also made pins and medals.

This just arrived from Norway into the frigid Great White North.

John

appears to have a small Canadian government Broad C arrow military stamp? interesting cheers, Ryan

Lackie did not believe in whimpy chains or clasp I see. Sterling too...beautiful

While the main Little Norway training camp was located at the edge of Toronto, they did have a camp cum leisure area located in the Muskokas on Vermilion Bay. This camp, sometimes known as Vesle Skaugum, is pictured on this postcard that I scored off fleabay.

Interesting and very cheap.

Here is an interesting propaganda booklet featuring Little Norway. It has a cover that looks a lot like an NS booklet in order to fool any NS inspectors, I guess, but inside it has all kinds of information on the resistance.

The story of the Shetland Bus is a story of heroics and daring.

The establishment of a sea route to smuggle people and materiel to Norway from the Shetland Islands was a major accomplishment and lead to the successful fight to free Norway and to weaken the German war machine.

Two books, told from different perspectives.

The first book, translated from the Norwegian, tells the story of Leif Larsen, or Shetlands Larsen, one of the most highly decorated officers, with decorations from Britain and Norway. It is called None but the Brave.

The second book tells the same story from the British command point of view. It is called The Shetland Bus.

John

While in Norway, I picked up these neat pre and postwar resistance items;

Milorg Nord pin
Milorg Bergen pin
1940-1990 50 yr Narvik medal
Haakon 7 portrait pin
Haakon 7 bookmark pin

Nice.
The Narvik 1940-1990 is a bit special.
Narvik was occupied 9.th April 1940 by the germans, but again liberated on the 28.th of May 1940 by an allied force consisting of polish, norwegian, french and british troops after 50 days of heavy fighting.
This medal was given to the participants of this jubilee 28.th May 1990.

I have 5 French medals dedicated to the fight in the North of Norway.

I have my fathers french medal with just the "Norvege" clasp, he was awarded this as a norwegian soldier/medic attached to the 14th DBLE.
Many norwegian soldiers fighting with the french were awarded this medal, unknown exact which units but most probably all in 2.nd Bn IR-15 and their subordinated units.

Tor-Helge, thank you for this information. The last 4 medals pictured together was a recent pickup on my August visit in Norway. I also picked up a number of MilOrg and NS items as well.

John