The 8th Battalion Sherwood Foresters in Norway April 1940

Thanks Diane, when I found that letter I remembered Capt Nicholson's signature in dad's pay book. It is amazing what you can reconstruct.

Steve

 

Steve asked me if I'd got any WW2 photos; I'll do a net search and get back here if I come up with anything. Meanwhile here are a few general google earth pics based on Steve's map.
(Incidentally I see the Leicesters were also there, I was born in Leicester and lived there 40-odd years)








The map area in 3D looking north, a major feature is that pass in the middle between the two hills-




Reverse view looking south-

 

A clockwise panorama from the bridge.
Looking north-




Looking east-





Looking south, the pass is clearly seen-





Looking west-

 

Cover pic from the book 'Norway 1940'


Norway 1940: The Forgotten Fiasco: Amazon.co.uk: Joseph Kynoch: Books#_


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Pics of POW's in Gudbrandsdalen from a Sherwoods discussion website-






POW's Stalag 8b - Sherwood Foresters Family History Local History


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Regimental website- Worcestershire & Sherwood Foresters(Worcester Branch) | The Sherwood Foresters Photos 1918-1944

 

Tretten

 

Thanks for your additions Spike,

Steve

 

This original pic is captioned the Leicesters..



FROM WEBSITE- Norway

ALSO FROM HERE (scroll halfway down) Far from Home. Daleko od Domu.: sierpień 2011

 

Spike,
Thanks for your sketches and drawings from Joseph Kynock's book which I have read. There is a debate whether the platoon marching away from Tretten station is from 8th Foresters or 5th Leicesters. If you look on page 3 of this thread, Dadbilly's recognised his father, William Burton, (who is still alive) at the rear of that platoon. William Burton was a Forester. I am pretty certain it is a Forester's platoon.

Kynnock's book also has other inaccuracies. The picture showing a Lt Col being marched away into captivety was labelled as Lt Col German, CO 5 Leicesters. It without doubt Lt Col Ford, CO 8 SF, after having tried to break out of the Rindheim position many hours after it was over run only to have bumped straight into the passing German Battalion HQ party. He is being led away at Rindheim. I have done so much research on the battalion and the man that it is without doubt Ford, not German; he was captured many days later further north in the Gudbransdal valley.

Steve

 

..I am pretty certain it is a Forester's platoon..

Yes the caption is dodgy anyway by calling it a "Mortar platoon", as I thought it only needed about 4 men to operate a 3" mortar.

 

Aargh now I see the Green Howards website features the picture, they've not captioned it, just hijacked it and stuck it there to imply the troops are Green Howards!-

The Green Howards

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EDIT- Oh no, it's just cropped up again at another website complete with caption (below) which says they're not even in Tretten!
The lesson for all military buffs is therefore never to take any caption at face value-



Local heroes - Gazettelive - Remember When

 

Dapam 20-271 - The German Northern Theater of Operations 1940-1945 - 1959

 

Thanks Wills,

Good to read the German view. Pages 73 and 74 cover the Stand at Tretten by 148 Brigade which is described as a "disaster" for the British troops. I think dad would have agreed with that as he was being transported off in his cattle truck to Poland.
Steve

 

Horton Heath, left hand side going up hill! 'The Lapstone?' Or the Dorset one?

 

Here are some general pics of Brit troops in the Norway Campaign which I found floating round the net and have computer-enhanced as best as I was able bearing in mind many of the originals were not too good to begin with, and the original captions were often sketchy and lack detail about exact units and precise locations etc.
If there's a 'Norway Campaign' thread at WW2 Talk maybe the mods could also copy the pics into there.
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British troops after arriving in Norway, 1940




Men of the 4th Lincolnshire Rgt at Skagge, April 40




Brit troops evacuated from Namsos, May 40




German bomb damage at Namsos




Namsos evacuation, May 40




Aboard Lancastria en route back to England

 

Evacuated from Norway aboard Lancastria, 1940



At Gourock embarking for Norway Apr 20th 1940



German uxb at Grong near Namsos, Apr 1940



Evacuated from Namsos, May 40



Brit wounded in Namsos hospital, Apr 1940



Hotchkiss tank of the French contingent at Steinland

 

French Hotchkiss, Steinland



Brits in Norway May 40




Brits arriving in Norway 1940




Aboard Oransay en route to Norway, 1940




Bofors gun at Harstad, May 14th 1940




Arriving at Scapa Flow from Namsos, May 40




Troops of 1/6th Duke of Wellington Rgt aboard Polish vessel 'MS Sobieski' en route to Norway




Sheepskin clothing issued to Brit troops en route to Norway





Interwar period-
Caption-"New recruits to the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) have an 11 o'clock tea break at the regimental depot, Normanton Barracks, Derby."

 

Horton Heath, left hand side going up hill! 'The Lapstone?' Or the Dorset one?
The Hampshire one. Turn left after the Lapstone into Knowle Lane and then right into Ascot.

S

 

I have not been in the Lapstone for 20 years or more!