Every year, since 1947, the people of Norway have given the people of London a Christmas tree. This gift is in gratitude for Britain’s support for Norway during World War II. You can watch the video which explains the story. There is an awful lot to be said for remembering and indeed respecting history. Today, this year’s tree arrived in Trafalgar Square and I feel strangely moved.
As you may have gathered from my surname, I have a fair wedge of Norwegian in me and although I have never been to the land of my grandfather’s, and probably never will, it somehow means something. It’s in the blood.
I’ve written countless blogs about my dad’s heroics in World War II, serving aboard the Liberty ships in the U Boat infested waters of the North Atlantic at 15 years of age, and of my mum and her family surviving the destruction of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe and then five years of often brutal occupation. I haven’t thought a great deal about Norway, where I would imagine I may still have some middle distant relatives. In fact, Norway suffered five long years of occupation, just like the Netherlands. No one in the family ever talked about it, maybe because I never asked, but I wish I had. In truth, I never asked questions of either side of my family. But at the time, it didn’t occur to me there were any to ask. I even learned about the tree via the media. And now I am learning more.
The tree itself is traditionally a 50 to 60 year old Norwegian Spruce which is cut down in November in a ceremony attended by the British Ambassador to Norway, the Mayor of Oslo and the Lord Mayor of Westminster. It is then taken by ship to London, decorated in a traditional Norwegian style and adorned with 500 white lights. At the base of the tree bears a plaque which says:
This tree is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45.
A tree has been given annually since 1947.
In a world that increasingly seems to have forgotten the lessons of World War II, where dictators have risen to power, usually and incredibly by the ballot box, the Norwegian tree is an annual reminder of the freedom for which our forefathers fought, often with their lives.
According to wikipedia, so it must be true, “A total of 10,262 Norwegians lost their lives in the conflict or while imprisoned. Approximately 50,000 Norwegians were arrested by the Germans during the occupation. Of these, 9,000 were consigned to prison camps outside Norway, including Stutthof concentration camp.” That’s what happens when fascists come to power. The tree is a symbol of thanks and gratitude to a nation – ours – that stood up to a dictator and never forgot its friends.
It’s only a tree, but at the same time it’s a very important tree and by remembering the past we can help safeguard the future. Thanks to my cousins in Norway for remembering. It means a hell of a lot. Never forget.
