HISTORY & HERITAGE PUBLIC LECTURES: 14 June 2017

Fear, Flight and Freedom: The Island’s Part in Norway’s Liberation Struggle

Dr Sue Nicol

You probably know that Norway was occupied by German forces following the shock invasion in April 1940.  Did you know that the Norwegian government of occupation tried to claim the Isle of Man on behalf of the Third Reich? Did you know that the island was a staging post for Norwegians fleeing their occupied country, and wanting to join the Free Norwegian forces? This lecture gathers those fragments of evidence that have survived to build an account of this dramatic and largely over-looked chapter of Manx-Norwegian relations.

2016-17 History & Heritage Lecture Series

A pensive Crown Prince Olav of Norway flying into the Island in September 1944. He visited Norwegians who were here awaiting security clearance to join the Free Norwegian forces in the UK. Courtesy of Manx National Heritage (PG 14414)
A pensive Crown Prince Olav of Norway flying into the Island in September 1944. He visited Norwegians who were here awaiting security clearance to join the Free Norwegian forces in the UK. Courtesy of Manx National Heritage (PG 14414)