2019 was the 75th anniversary of the rescue of the crew of NB811. Over 50 members of the Firestone, Grandy, Biddle, Deeth and Graham families travelled to Norway to take part in the celebrations that had been carefully and thoroughly organized by the local community. Many members of the local community attended the official ceremonies on Saturday October 5; many more enjoyed the hike to Little Canada on October 6.
The impact of this event on those who attended was immeasurable. Chris Deeth, grandson of George Deeth, wrote on his Facebook post:
“Wrapping up an emotional weekend in Osøyro And Øvredal. Friday was a visit to the site where my Grandfathers Wellington came down in Nazi Occupied Norway followed by a hike to the cave where he and his crew were hidden by the Norwegian resistance - the Milorg. This was followed by a boat ride through the islands he was taken to on his escape journey.
“Saturday was the official ceremony commemorating the 75 anniversary of the rescue. It was a powerful event to be at. Representatives included the mayor of Osøyro, the commanding officers of 407 squadron, the Norwegian airforce and navy. Flowers were laid, anthems were sung. Friendships were solidified. After the ceremony the fishing boat that smuggled the crew to the various islands as well as the KNM Hitra - sister ship to the Vigra which brought the crew out of occupied territory - were present in the harbour for us to tour.
“Sunday was a hike up to Little Canada at Bøtnahytta where my Grampy and the crew stayed while waiting to be extracted. It felt like the whole town attended. 300+ people made the hike. It was awe inspiring. There the 407 squadron commanders presented honours to the descendants of the Milorg as well as a squadron “camp” flag to fly at the cabin.
“It was a lot of very personal history to take in. The hospitality and friendliness of our Norwegian hosts has been incredible and impossible to overstate.”
Rick Frank, husband of Lorna Deeth, a grand-daughter of George Deeth, had never met Lorna's grandfather, but wrote:
“Just got back from a weekend in western Norway to commemorate the 75th anniversary of an unbelievable rescue mission by the Norwegian Resistance of 6 Canadian airmen that included Lorna's grandfather. Please read the shared post [above] from my brother-in-law as well as the full story at (http://www.sixsacksofpotatoes.deeth.ca/). Retracing the steps of those airmen from crash to rescue over the weekend, while meeting the direct descendants of the Norwegians that risked not only their lives but also everyone else close to them, lea to many choked back tears and chills. I was so lucky to take part in this experience, one that I'll never forget.”
“Wrapping up an emotional weekend in Osøyro And Øvredal. Friday was a visit to the site where my Grandfathers Wellington came down in Nazi Occupied Norway followed by a hike to the cave where he and his crew were hidden by the Norwegian resistance - the Milorg. This was followed by a boat ride through the islands he was taken to on his escape journey.
“Saturday was the official ceremony commemorating the 75 anniversary of the rescue. It was a powerful event to be at. Representatives included the mayor of Osøyro, the commanding officers of 407 squadron, the Norwegian airforce and navy. Flowers were laid, anthems were sung. Friendships were solidified. After the ceremony the fishing boat that smuggled the crew to the various islands as well as the KNM Hitra - sister ship to the Vigra which brought the crew out of occupied territory - were present in the harbour for us to tour.
“Sunday was a hike up to Little Canada at Bøtnahytta where my Grampy and the crew stayed while waiting to be extracted. It felt like the whole town attended. 300+ people made the hike. It was awe inspiring. There the 407 squadron commanders presented honours to the descendants of the Milorg as well as a squadron “camp” flag to fly at the cabin.
“It was a lot of very personal history to take in. The hospitality and friendliness of our Norwegian hosts has been incredible and impossible to overstate.”
Rick Frank, husband of Lorna Deeth, a grand-daughter of George Deeth, had never met Lorna's grandfather, but wrote:
“Just got back from a weekend in western Norway to commemorate the 75th anniversary of an unbelievable rescue mission by the Norwegian Resistance of 6 Canadian airmen that included Lorna's grandfather. Please read the shared post [above] from my brother-in-law as well as the full story at (http://www.sixsacksofpotatoes.deeth.ca/). Retracing the steps of those airmen from crash to rescue over the weekend, while meeting the direct descendants of the Norwegians that risked not only their lives but also everyone else close to them, lea to many choked back tears and chills. I was so lucky to take part in this experience, one that I'll never forget.”
The next few pages have a brief summary of the events; a photo album with lots of pictures of the events of the weekend is found here.
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