Capt (Retd) Dickie Dutton, his wife Pippa, and Association Secretary Colin Cranswick as Standard Bearer have just returned from a 4 day visit to Steinkjer in Norway. They were there to represent the KOYLI at an annual remembrance and wreath laying ceremonies at Hustad Farm and the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Trondheim to remember the KOYLI and Lincoln's soldiers who fell on 21 Apr 1940 defending Norway.
Kev Fawcett as Bugler was also to have been in the group but, contracted Covid and was unable to travel. He was there in sound in that he sent recordings of him sounding Last Post and Charlie Reveille which were played during the ceremonies. His haunting rendition of Last Post and Charlie Reveille were the talking point by everyone.
Our group were hosted and accommodated by an amazing Norwegian family Paul and Britt Kiddell. Paul from Devon was a former TA Royal Signals soldier who met Brit during a NATO exercise, he eventually relocated to Norway over 25 years ago and married Britt. Paul and Brit are the people responsible for much of the in depth research, and tracing of family member of the KOYLI and Lincoln's soldiers killed in the various battles in Norway during WWII.
Our grateful thanks to Paul and Britt for being most generous hosts and for the undaunting and continuing work to honour and remember the KOYLI and Lincoln's soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of Norway.
A full report and photographs of the trip will be published on the website shortly and a photo album created in the Photo Albums webpage. In the meantime here are a few words from Dickie Dutton about the ceremony on the 21st Apr
Every one of the forty or so present, including Norwegian veterans, was moved by the addition the fine sombre bugle notes made to the atmosphere in the tiny hamlet of Hustad. Its tiny gemlike 13 century church, tall elm trees, a cluster of ancient farm house, farm buildings and the view across the half mile slope to the fjord and snow capped hills beyond… and the spectre of our brave KOYLI men.. now, forever memorialised in the sculpted figure of a British soldier, arms reversed, who guards their fellow Norwegian and British soldiers, forever.
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