Picture: Becky Saunderson. Image No.042279
THE untold story of men and women who fled Norway and Denmark ahead of the Nazi war machine and went on to call Buckie their home is now in the process of being researched and told. Buckie and District Heritage Centre hosted an event last Thursday for descendants of the refugees, and those with tales to tell about them, to share memories, photos and documents. The meeting was part of a project to celebrate the sizeable Scandinavian enclave that history has largely forgotten. More than 200 Norwegians ended up in Buckie after 1940 – their numbers justified setting up a Norwegian consulate in the town – and around 50 Danes. While many returned to their homelands after the end of the war, many stayed, marrying local girls and putting down roots. On hand to hear some recollections of these refugees’ lives were Prof Peter Reid and Denmark-based Norwegian artist Eyvind Gulbrandsen. Funding for project Hame Fra Hjem, which is being held in partnership with the heritage centre, was sourced by Portgordon-based Prof Reid from European Year of Cultural History grants. It has already been a voyage of discovery for Mr Gulbrandsen, who has amassed a huge amount of material. He said: “I’ve had a very interesting day getting background information
to try and build a picture of how life was here during the war. “Before I became involved with this project I didn’t know about the Norwegian and Danish communities
here in Buckie. I’m enormously fascinated by how well these Norwegians and Danes were welcomed here and how well they connected to the local community, especially as few of
them spoke English. It’s amazing how it all worked out and how well they managed to be a part of the local community.” Mr Gulbrandsen hopes to pull
all his research together for a performance, scheduled to premiere in Aberdeen next February featuring readings, music, text and photos. Prof Reid is to meet with Millbank Primary teacher Morag Flett to see about involving pupils. Mr Gulbrandsen said: “I’d like to have a narrative piece as part of the performance and I’d love to have the children telling the stories. “They’re neutral between how the refugees were treated in the old days and how refugees are often thought of now. “This is very important; I don’t want this to be a political piece or something that points fingers.” Prof Reid said the day had left him even more enthusiastic about the project and praised Mr Gulbrandsen for opening up new vistas for him. He said: “During both this visit by Eyvind and his first one a few weeks ago we’ve had lots of discussions that have made me look at things in a different way. “The tale of these refugees does contain some difficult and dark stories and Eyvind has helped me make sense of that. “Another important element that has emerged has been that of the refugee and local communities facing a common enemy in the Nazis, which helped draw them together. “I have to say that today’s session has exceeded my expectations, we had so many people coming through the door with wonderful stories. “The quality of the material we have is outstanding. My thanks to them and the heritage centre for hosting the session.” Among those who have contributed to the project is broadcaster Freda Morrison, who originally hails from Portknockie. She is sharing her vast knowledge of the north-east music scene with the project. This will assist Mr Gulbrandsen’s desire to try and meld Norwegian, Danish and Scottish traditional folk music as part of the final performance. He noted that there were no contemporary records of refugee and local musicians playing together but added that it would have been “very interesting”. The drop-in session was also hailed a triumph by heritage centre secretary Adam Robertson. “It’s been brilliant, there’s been a really big response,” he said. “We’re deeply honoured to be part of this project which, for me, represents local history at its best. “It’s been wonderful to see all of these second-generation Norwegians and Danes coming here to share their stories.” Prof Reid is still eager to hear from either relatives of the refugees or those who may have stories, photos or documents about them. To contact him, email p.reid@rgu.ac.uk