Norwegian Brigade are welcomed home

Representatives of a group that fled to Scotland during the Second World War were in Callander this week.

The Norwegian Brigade were a group of soldiers who pledged their allegiance to the Allied Forces after the German Conquest of Norway in 1940.

Around 500 Norwegians fled with UK forces after their country had been conquered -numbers later swelled to several thousand - and would not return until the German capitulation in 1945.

Norwegian soldiers were initially based in Dumfries, where The Hamilton Camp was setup and training began.

The division carried out several small operations in their homeland from their base in Scotland, and joined Allied Forces in reclaiming their country, before the brigade was demobilised in October 1945.

The unit was moved around Scotland in the war years, and a group of soldiers were eventually housed in Callander in 1943, where they are still fondly remembered.

Representatives of the Norwegian Brigade were welcomed back to the town on Tuesday, with a reception held at Callander Kirk Hall.

The Brigade were visiting Scotland to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, and their visit to the Trossachs was blessed by beautiful sunshine.

They met up with local residents who shared their childhood memories of the Norwegian soldiers billeted in the town, from parties and dances, to mules travelling along the streets and skiers moving along the hilltops.

Ken Dunn presented them with a large piece of pudding stone which will be added to stones from other areas in Scotland to make a new commemoration of their time in Scotland.

Local residents shared their childhood memories of the Norwegian soldiers