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Course: Norwegians in Contin in World War II [Contin] ...

09 September 2024


Starts: 19:00
Ends: 21:30

Norwegians in Contin in World War II

Monday evenings from 7-9.30pm from 9th September 2024  at Contin Hall. We will also be facilitating several online Zoom sessions to link to unable to attend in person sessions, some of whom are investigating the topic in Norway.

Free - all welcome.

After the invasion of Norway in World War II, the Norwegian government relocated to the UK and there was significant military activity in the Highlands.

The first stage of a project investigating their presence in the Highlands will focus on the area of Contin. The Norwegians had their local headquarters nearby in Brahan Castle and officers and men were stationed at Coul House, so it seems to have been an area of great activity. However, despite this, relatively little is known about what the Norwegian Army was actually doing here and how they interacted with the local population. This project aims to fill in this gap in our knowledge about this time period.

The project aims to bring together local people and people who simply have an interest, to capture memories, research archive military material and create a display of the findings to inform the general public about this fascinating time in the history of the Highlands.

If you are interested in being involved and would like to book a place, please contact us on 07788 835466 or email us at archhighland@googlemail.com

This course is possible with funding from Fairburn Community Fund (SSE Renewables).

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CANCELLED Online talk: From Black Isle to Normandy ...

09 September 2024


Starts: 19:30

 From Black Isle to Normandy

Online talk by Richard Jenner

Organised by Fortrose and Rosemarkie Local History Society. membership if £5 / year. Visitors can join but must register beforehand. For details see their website

Richard will follow the work-up of naval Force S in the Inverness & Moray Firth before the D-Day landings on Sword Beach in 1944. Kept secret at the time were a series of exercises designed to prepare troops for the D-Day landings in Normandy. It had been found that the coastline, beaches and road structure from Nairn to Burghead were similar to those at Ouistreham in Normandy, sometimes also referred to as Sword beach. The exercises involved driving tanks across the Black Isle to Fortrose where they were loaded onto amphibious craft moored to buoys on the Ness of Fortrose before sailing across the Moray Firth.

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Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH), The Goods Shed, The Old Station, Strathpeffer, Ross-Shire, Scotland IV14 9DH
Tel: +44 (0)77888 35466 Email: