"Camp Little Norway"

[Lars Ulvestad]

63 years ago, November 10th 1940, the Royal Norwegian Air Force opened a training camp in Canada called "Camp Little Norway " in Toronto. They used the Island Airport located on Centre Island in Lake Ontario, and the camp was located close to the Toronto Maple Leafs stadium. In 1943 the norwegian training camp moved to Dominion Airport, Muskoka, Ontario. Attached is a photo of the camp in Toronto including the cable ferry to Centre Island.

[Lars Ulvestad]

And this photo is from Dominion Airport, Muskoka, Ontario:

[Lars Ulvestad]

In March 1945 the Royal Norwegian Air Force left Canada:

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Lars, is the 'Muskoka Airport' the one just north of Gravenhurst? If so, I've been by there hundreds of times... I never knew your fellows were there! Is there any kind of monument to them on the site?

[Lars Ulvestad]

And now the ouestions from a curious norwegian: Are there any known memorial monuments in connection with these norwegian training camps in Toronto or Muskoka? And how does these areas look today? I presume the training camps are long gone.

Thanks for Your help!

[Lars Ulvestad]

Geoff,

Yes, the Dominion Airport, Muskoka is/was located close to Gravenhurst, the RNAF purchased a farm close to the airport to build the barracks and so on.

And no, I dont know if there are any memorials in these places. I hoped someone in Canada knew.

The RNAF also had a recreation center called "Vesle Skaugum" outside Toronto, but so far I haven't found any reference to where it was located.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

We were criss-crossing posts for a bit...

I can find out, Lars... but you'll have to give me a few days. The airport is still in use for light aircraft, and AFAIK there is a pretty good local museum which will have archival records for the entire district. Did you know that there was also a camp for German prisoners of war at Gravenhurst as well? When I was young, there were still two of them buried there under immense, ornate carved wooden crosses. They've since been repatriated back to Germany, but I can't help thinking how much easier it was for them compared to OUR POWs... fresh air, good work, lots of food. No wonder so many came back here afterwards.

I'll find out what I can for you.

Geoff

[Brian Gough]

Hi Lars,

A Google search for "Little Norway Gravenhurst" produced the following:

Remarks by the Hon. James K. Bartleman
at the Dedication of a Memorial to Little Norway by the King and Queen of Norway

Gravenhurst Airport / 8 May 2002

As the representative in Ontario of Her Majesty The Queen of Canada, and on behalf of the eleven million citizens of Ontario, I am delighted to greet Your Majesties on the official start of your tour of our province.

Having been born and raised here, it is a particular honour for me to welcome you to Muskoka. My only regret is that your visit here is short, and that you will not have time to savour our pristine lakes and majestic forests - those aspects of Muskoka's unique geography which inspired the paintings of Canada's Group of Seven, who were themselves greatly influenced by the work of Scandinavian artists.

The similarity between Muskoka's landscape and the lakes and forests of Norway is but one aspect of the strong bond between our people. Today, we commemorate one of the most powerful symbols of that bond, the airbase at Little Norway, where crews of the Royal Norwegian Air Force trained during World War II. From this aerodrome, several thousand Norwegian airmen returned to Europe, where they served with valor and distinction alongside Allied forces.

I know that your family, Your Majesty, made several visits to Little Norway during the War, and that you yourself visited the original Little Norway in Toronto as a young boy. Among the many memorabilia of Little Norway is a charming photograph of you, unveiling a Fairchild elementary trainer, under the watchful and proud gaze of your late mother.

I am delighted that the district of Muskoka has made this site available, for the establishment of a memorial to honour the brave men and women, both Norwegian and Canadian, who lived the history of Little Norway.

Your presence here today is a great honour for all Ontarians, and especially for those of us who call this beautiful and historic region home. Together with the memorial that will serve as a lasting reminder of the history of this place, your visit is a tribute to the courage, bravery, and solidarity of the people of Canada and our Norwegian allies, during the dark days of World War II.

Welcome, Your Majesties - thank you for joining us to commemorate our joint role in what Winston Churchill called "our finest hour."


I recall there was quite good coverage in the press for this event. Also there is a great book on the subject done after the war that appears for sale infrequently. Regrettably I didn't buy one when I had the chance.

Brian

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Thanks, Brian!

Lars, I'll find that monument and photograph it for you.

G.

PS: Or the next one of us here passing by there will do it!

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Lars Ulvestad
And now the ouestions from a curious norwegian: Are there any known memorial monuments in connection with these norwegian training camps in Toronto or Muskoka? And how does these areas look today? I presume the training camps are long gone.

For any-one in general, for Lars in particular:

In your first picture of Little Norway, in Toronto, the whole area is completely changed except for the large building at the top left. That was Tip Top Tailors, who made thousand of battledress uniforms and other clothing during World War II. The ball diamond was ripped down in about 1959 to 1963. The whole area has been developed as a tourist attraction and is called Harbourfront. The ferry still runs, and right now the Toronto mayoral candidates are fiercely debating a bridge to the Island.

Muskoka airport still functions, mostly with crop dusting planes and light recreational planes.

Cheers

[Lars Ulvestad]

Geoff, Brian and Jon,

Thank you for all your information so far - most interesting. I have a book about "Little Norway" published in Toronto about 1944 and I know I have seen the photo of our King Harald as a boy in the Fairchild trainer - I will share it with you later today. And I know the King and Queen visited the area not so long ago but it was almost not covered by norwegian newspapers.

[Lars Ulvestad]

Here is a photo of the then Prince now King Harald of Norway in the Fairchild trainer in Muskoka (referred to as a Link Trainer in the text):

[Lars Ulvestad]

And here is a photo of prince Harald in a jeep in "Vesle Skaugum" (recreation centre for RNAF located between two lakes in the woods north of Toronto):

[Marc Montgomery]

Information about Little Norway was published in CONVOY MAGAZINE issue #5 in 2001.

The Norwegian embassy in Ottawa has created a small "museum" at the Muskoka airport to commemorate the some 3,000 Norwegians who trained there before the camp was closed near the end of the war.
The photo included in issue 5 shows the "recreation" area of the Norwegian camp.

I bet that particular spot of land would now be worth several million $ !!!

Cheers
Marc
http://www.geocities.com/convoymagazine
http://www.geocities.com/lga25ubique/index.html

[Dean Owen]

I tought that I would mention that the Graves of WW2 German POWs, ( all 162) were moved to Kitchener after the war. They weren't sent home, well none that I am awhere of.
I have just bought a large collection of "THE CAMP" a paper put out in Berlin for the Allied POWs in Camp Stalag 111A, probably the only ones left in the world, these came out of a German archive ( along with other WW2 items),
I have since learned form a British POW in that camp that the reason they no long exsist is the fact they were used for "Bum Wad". Tis has nothing to do with the German Graves, I just thought I would brag about the find!!! LOL

Dean Owen
Whitby Ontario

northland@sympatico.ca

[Jon Skagfeld]

Lars: I just ran across the following from a book titled: Battle of Britain, Then and Now, published by "After the Battle" press.

...p.173

"By the old stone gate of the North Weald (RAF WW2 fighter station) stands a stone monolith which was erected to commemorate the Norwegians who flew and died while serving on the station. Unveiled on 19 June 1952, by the Crown Princess of Norway, Princess Astrid, it could equally be a tribute to the pilots of all nationalities who died "in ops". For after all, they were all brothers in arms".

Thought you might like to include this anecdote in your memorabilia of "Little Norway, Toronto".

Regards

Jon

[Jon Skagfeld]

Add to the previous post...

North Weald was a Sector Station in Sector E during the Battle of Britain.

Squadron numbers 330 to 334 inclusive were reserved for Norwegian airmen who, variously, flew Catalina, Sunderland, Hurricane, Spitfire, Mosquito.

[Colin Macgregor Stevens]

Interesting string and fascinating jeep photo.

My mother's uncle Air Vice Marshall F. V. Heakes apparently received a decoration from Norway in WWII but I do not know what it was for.

My 1944 Willys MB jeep came surplus out of Norway in 1985 and in addition to serving with the Norewgian Army Engineers, served with the HVK in Oslo and the dark a paint layer suggests RNAF service as well. There has never been civilian paint colours on it. I found a US Army number on it as well as the Norwegian military registration number 5583.

I believe I saw a copy of the book on Little Norway. I recall a photo of a live bear mascot sitting in a jeep at the driver's position! Would love a scan of that photo Lars!

Any other RNAF jeep photos in the book?
:-)

[Lars Ulvestad]

When I am home again after christmas I will post some more info and pics - also of a canadian bear in a RNAF jeep