• Karen Millen
• Herve Leger
• Karen Millen
• Hermes
• Soccer Cleats

Norwegians in Contin in WWII

After the invasion of Norway in World War II, the Norwegian government relocated to the UK. Norwegian men and women joined the Norwegian army, navy and air force, and there was significant military training in the Highlands by the army. A group led by Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH) met in Contin in September to December 2024, exploring memories and researching documents to shed light on the Norwegian presence in the area during WWII. The project was funded by the SSE Renewables Fairburn Community Fund.

We were very lucky to have two participants who were boys during the war, and remember the Norwegians providing treats to them at the NAAFI. Other participants contributed stories they have been told. Ken Cumming described in his booklets about Contin watching the Norwegians training in the area – and seeing the officers at Coul House driven by horse and carriage each Sunday for lunch at Brahan Castle. Jessie Benkowski remembered the mules in the area – and the Norwegians eating horsemeat. In addition we made contact with several Norwegian researchers who have been very generous with their findings. We had two very interesting zoom sessions connecting to people in Norway, Dumfries and elsewhere in Scotland. 

During 1942 and 1943 the Norwegian Independent Mountain companies were based in Contin, Dingwall and Nigg. Each company had over 200 men. They were training to aid in the liberation of Norway. The companies had little in mechanised transport, so horses and mules were used. Coul House was taken over by the Norwegian Horse Service, which was to provide pack animals and carts for the companies. Stables were needed for over 200 horses, as well as an ongoing supply of food and fodder. Mules are also remembered, though these are not mentioned in the Norwegian and British documents we have discovered.

Finding accommodation for so many men was challenging. They reused a camp in Contin built by British troops who were stationed at Coul earlier in the war.  These consisted of nissen and wooden huts, mainly built over now by the housing on Woodland Park. But there are also lots of memories of Norwegians being billeted in local houses, in Contin, Strathpeffer and Fodderty. The Achilty Hotel was used as well. The headquarters for all the troops in the area was at Brahan Castle where officers stayed, and we believe the female Norwegian recruits were also stationed there.

Newspapers have provided insights into what the Norwegians were up to when not training (whist, sports and dancing, and doubtless drinking as well). We have found evidence of a half dozen marriages, and no doubt there are more to be discovered.

King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav visited the area several times, signing the guest book at Brahan Castle. During their visit of July 1943, an official photographer accompanied them, and the group has been trying to identify pictures of the Contin area from the thousands available on the Norwegian Archives website (Riksarkivet). The photos showing the king standing at the war memorial as troops parade by are easily identified, but those showing training in the landscape or sporting events less so.

No military buildings remain from the period, nor even the village hall where the dances took place. Some foundations of stables to the north of the road to Coul House survive, and perhaps some foundations of the outlying buildings for the camp.

A surprising amount of information was found about this little known part of our local history. The group made a display which will launched at the Open Day in January 2025, and will now tour locally. It is also available to view from the ARCH website. The ARCH website Library also has the transcript of memories collected during the project, together with a timeline of Norwegian activities in Scotland. Binders of research will be left in Contin and in Dingwall library, and can be added to when more information is found. It contains:

1. Display Panels and Transcript of Memories
     1.1 Display panels
     1.2 Transcript of Memories

2. General background to Norwegians in Scotland
     2.1 Timeline
     2.2 C. Mann 2001 ‘Norwegian Armed Forces in Britain’ in Europe In Exile. European Exile Communities in Britain 1940-1945, ed. M. Conway and J. Gotovitch.
     2.3 M. Olsen 2020 ‘The Forgotten Army. The Norwegian Army-in-exile 1940-1945’ (extracts). Masters thesis, U. of Oslo
     2.4 E. Fjærli 1982 Den norske hær i Storbritannia 1940-1945 (extracts using google translate), including notes on the Norwegian Independent Companies, derived from E. Fjærli 1982.
     2.5 ‘Impressions from an inspection trip to the Norwegian land forces’ (google translation of an article in Norsk Tidend, 21 July 1943, with annotations by G. Bratli, K. & O. Johansen who have also added pictures from the Norwegian archives)
     2.6 Selected resources from The National Archives, London
     2.7 M. Bratli, K. & O. Johansen 2020 Hvalfangerbriaden. Den norske briage I Skottland 1940-1941
     2.8 Table of contents from Britain and Norway in the Second World War ed by Patrick Salmon (1995), with the article by O. Riste 1995 ‘Relations between the Norwegian government in exile and the British government’ in Britain and Norway in the Second World War ed by Patrick Salmon.
     2.9 Other notes and resources

3. Norwegians in Contin Resources
     3.1 Sketch map showing where army camp and stable remains were remembered, together with aerial photograph from 1947.
     3.2 Brahan Castle visitor book
     3.3 Contin area in the newspapers
     3.4 K. Cumming 1996 Contin 60 to 70 Years Ago
     3.5 Notes on the Horse Service in the Norwegian Brigade
     3.6 Survey of stable bases by Meryl Marshall, on Historic Environment Record MHG59076
     3.7 Other resources

4. Norwegians in Dingwall and Strathpeffer resources
     4.1 Dingwall in the newspapers
     4.2 Marriages
     4.3 Burns Night January 1943
     4.4 Norwegians named in the documents for Contin, Dingwall and Evanton
     4.5 Other resources

5. Norwegians elsewhere in the Highlands
     5.1 Norwegians on the Black Isle
     5.2 Norwegians in Evanton
     5.3 Norwegians in Edderton, Tain, and Dornoch
     5.4 Norwegians in Inverness
     5.5 Norwegian Air Force in Oban and Caithness
          W. Mohr 1995 ‘The contribution of the Norwegian air forces’ in Britain and Norway in the Second World War ed by Patrick Salmon, pp. 83-96
          N. Owen date not known. Royal Air Force Station Oban. A History of the Flying Boat Operations
     5.6 The Salvesens
     5.7 Other resources

6. Commandos / Kompani Linge (Arisaig and the Cairngorms)
     6.1 S. Allan 2007 Commando Country (extracts)
     6.2 A. Ruggeri 2017 ‘The surprising place where WWII agents learnt to fight Nazis’; https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170111-the-surprising-place-where-wwii-agents-learnt-to-fight-nazis (accessed Dec 2024)
     6.3 J. Rønnenberg 1995 ‘The Linge Company and the British’ in Britain and Norway in the Second World War ed by Patrick Salmon, pp. 152-7 96  
     6.4 Other resources

7. Selected photos from Norwegian Archives

8. Misc other resources
     8.1 Den Norske Brigades Kampsanger 1942

9. Wartime in the Contin area
     9.1 Brahan POW camp
     9.2 K. Cumming Going to Contin School 75 Years Ago
     9.3 Edited transcript of interview with Jessie Benkowski by Meryl Marshall in 2008
     9.4 Remembering the Strathpeffer Area 5. Wartime Remains
     9.5 Other resources