WW 2 spoon found in an old farm house in the Norwegian forest

Like most people I have drawers full of odds and ends, and some items can go unnoticed for a long time.

Last week I opened one such drawer and an old spoon caught my eyes, it’s a little teaspoon that I had picked up from an abandoned farm house in the middle of a Norwegian forest in 1999. I kept it all these years, and it travelled with me back and forth from Norway to Brazil, then back again, later to the Baltics and back again. Eventually it got forgotten in my little vanity table drawer along with some stray hair pins, buttons and some old notebooks.

I had a few minutes to spare, so idly I googled the markings on the handle. It didn’t take long to learn that it was a British military issued WW 2 spoon, a model that would have been carried by soldiers in combat as part of their kit.

We know that the English had come to the rescue of the Norwegians during the war, so this would have belonged to a British soldier who was sent to Norway some 70 years ago. 

In 1999 I spent six months in Norway, staying with a family who would later become my in-laws (though that is another story). The summer months were lovely and I  ended up with time to spare, so  with a forest behind the house just waiting to be explored,  I often took the children out for long walks. We gave original names to the different places we saw, and even drew  a detailed map of our walking tours.

One day we got a little lost and came across a small clearing in the woods, in the center was an old and partially collapsed house. We went in and looked around, there were magazines from the 60’s, a funny old shoe, some trash and not much more of interest. I picked up this little spoon as a souvenir, and we walked back  home making up stories along the way about what happened there and why it had been abandoned. 

We all had quite a vivid imagination in those days, and had we known that we had found a WW2 item we would have had a lot more fun with the stories and hypothesis we came up with.

I think I would like to return to that old place, and if it is still standing to investigate a little more, maybe there is more to find ? 

Yes, I can locate the place again – but don’t ask….. I won’t tell. 

Original WW2 British army Fork. Makers name and war arrow

Photo of the old farm taken in the winter of 2000

Here is a shop that sells similar items with identical markings:  http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/ww2-british-army-fork-product,19396

Charles - The story of a friendship. By Micheal Joseph

   

  

    My dear  sister Laura who is as  much a fan of cats and books as myself, recently surprised me with a little package containing a 1943 book about the life of a  Siamese cat during the 1930's-1940's in London.

    This small, unassuming book might not look like much, and would have probably been easily ignored in a pile of other more glamorously covered books, but you can't judge a book by its cover and the inside of this small red cloth covered volumes contains a sweet, intimate and delightful look at the life of a much loved pet from the pen of a period correct, London gentleman.

   The story follows the life of Charles, a Siamese cat and all his little adventures, including his stay in the military base with his owner who was a company commander during WW2.

'Petitioned by a feminin favourite for a pet, so legends goes, an Eastern God blended these qualities into the Siamese cat. 'Grace of the panther, intelligense of the elephant, affection of the love-birds, beauty of the fawn, softness of dawn, swiftness of light'

In this age of sms, and emails... it's a delight to receive handwriten ( and adorned ) notes. Thank you Laura !

Printed in 1943 during the war, at a time when many items were in want, or rationed.  Book printing ( a luxury ) had to fit an economy standards

17th of May, 1940

    Last Saturday I picked up an interesting book at a Lion club book sale - a simply bound book full of pictures from Norway during the 2nd world war.

    Norwegians celebrate their national day on the 17^th of May, the day they signed their constitution in 1814.

The 17^th of May is celebrated by parades of flag waving children, marching bands, and lots of ice-cream, games and good food. 

    During the occupation in 1940,  it was forbidden to sing the national anthem and display the flag, some people still did it but were careful to hide the flags if they heard a German plane pass by.

    In 1941 it was allowed to have the flag up, but the population was not given a free day. Some persons chose to fly the flag at half stand, as a sign of national mourning. 

Picture history of the fight for freedom 1940-1945. Så vi vant vår rett ( And so we won our rights)

17 May 1940 in north Norway

Soldier looking over bombed ruins

My great grandfather

   I always knew that my great grandfather Edgar had a hair salon in Dunkerque before the war, but it was destroyed in the bombings during WW2.

   Last week while my mother was visiting her family, her brother found an old box with photos that had not been seen in decades.

   So here is the photo of my great grandfather in front of  his Dunkerque hair dresser salon, he never returned from the war. It is believed he was among prisoners in a train wagon, who were all shot when the Germans where fleeing in front of the advancing allies.

    The next photo is the hair salon my great grandmother opened in a small Village south of Paris, where she found a new home for herself and her two little girls after they lost their home and business in the North.

    The salon is now the kitchen of my great aunt, the house having belonged to my step-great grandfather... I still remember him vaguely, the old man who lived upstair and had used a cane to walk around his garden.

My great grandfather - Edgar

    

Old family photo

Here is a scan of an old photo showing the allies ( americans ) arriving in Fouchere ( France )
You can see my great grandmother  in white waving, the little girl on the left is my grandmother.

Fouchere, France