English pilots in Sweden 1940

[christerd]

I have this card in my collection and wonder if anyone knows what happend that day and if they could be identified?

I think the man on the left is a Marine flier?

Text on the back says that theese two made a forcelanding in Sweden at Sunday 22 September 1940 at 09.30 they fad been bombing during night in Norway ?

One is 20 years old and the other 21 years old, that the only info I got.

Anyone ?

Christer

[Ken MacLean]

Christer,

I suggest you try to obtain a copy of "Making for Sweden" (1999) by Swedish author Bo Widfeldt. A web search on this title will bring up many hits. This book contains an account of all British and Commonwealth airmen who were interned or died in Sweden during WW2.

I corresponded with Bo several years ago seeking information about my brother-in-law, an RCAF pilot interned in Sweden, and he very kindly sent me some information (I could not find the book in Canada). Unfortunately, I no longer have Bo Wildfeldt's e-mail address.

Bo Widfeldt is prominent in Swedish aviation history matters, so also suggest you have a look at the Swedish aviation websites. His name and perhaps contact info possibly found there.

He also published a second "Making for Sweden" that documents USAAF airmen interned in Sweden.

Cheers, Ken

Edited November 24, 2008 by Ken MacLean

[christerd]

Christer,

I suggest you try to obtain a copy of "Making for Sweden" (1999) by Swedish author Bo Widfeldt. A web search on this title will bring up many hits. This book contains an account of all British and Commonwealth airmen who were interned or died in Sweden during WW2.

I corresponded with Bo several years ago seeking information about my brother-in-law, an RCAF pilot interned in Sweden, and he very kindly sent me some information (I could not find the book in Canada). Unfortunately, I no longer have Bo Wildfeldt's e-mail address.

Bo Widfeldt is prominent in Swedish aviation history matters, so also suggest you have a look at the Swedish aviation websites. His name and perhaps contact info possibly found there.

He also published a second "Making for Sweden" that documents USAAF airmen interned in Sweden.

Cheers, Ken

Aha, Thanks Ken

Sometimes the answer is closer than you think, I will look for the book.

Best regards from Sweden

Christer

[Ralph]

From the book mentioned:

22 Sept 1940

Blackburn Skua Mk II

L2942 801 Sqd. Fleet Air Arm

Pilot S/lt Bernard Wigginson

Gunner Naval Airman Kenneth King

Departed from HMS Furious for an attack on ships in Trondheim Harbour. Crew landed in The Fazealven River and sank near the Vicarage of Ramsele. The crew swam ashore and were arrested by the local police.

The crew were repatriated in December 1940

[christerd]

:cheers:

Thanks Raplh !

Mystery solved, it is not often that people in old Photos can be indentified, so this was really

a jackpot!

Thanks again from Sweden

Christer

[Carol I]

Christer, I have recently seen in the small aviation shop in Bromma Airport a similar book by Rolph Wegmann: Brittiska N?dlandare 1940-1945. Beside it there were two other books by Bo Widfeldt dealing with the American, German, Polish, Norwegian and Finish airmen: Tyska N?dlandare 1939-1945 samt uppgifter om flygplan fr?n Polen, Norge och Finland and Amerikanska N?dlandare 1943-1945.

[David Duxbury]

Christer,

That is a really nice photo of the Skua crew. The officer's uniform is very typical of the time; note the rank on sleeve, with the "A" for Air Branch in the "executive curl", and the "wavey Navy" style of the RNVR, also pilot's wing on sleeve.

David D

[christerd]

:jumping:

Aha, Thanks David !! When you write Skua I just Googled Blackburn Skua and found a very interesting site about this quite rare aeroplane (under 200 made)

The 22nd Sept 1940 Skua L2942 from HMS Furious (801 Squadron) attacked Trondheim and after the attack didnt find Furious again and crashlanded in Sweden. The pilot Sub Lt Bernard Wigginton and Leading Aircraftsman Kenneth King was the first allied flyers which landed in Sweden during the war.

Wow!

Thanks again Christer

Edited April 20, 2009 by christerd

[rking]

Hi all!

I know this thread is a little old but my brother was recently randomly googling my grandfather and we happened upon this photo of him. He's the fine looking fellow on the right, Kenneth King! We've been slowly collecting bits and pieces of his story for a little while now and finding this photo online was very exciting.

I'm happy to tell you all that Ken is still doing great and will be turning 90 this May. After he was repatriated in 1941 he was sent to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia where he met and later married my grandmother. He became a telegraphist-air gunner instructor at RCAF Station Yarmouth for the duration of the war. After the war he returned to England and was discharged from the Royal Navy just before the Korean War, he and my grandmother returned to Canada and have been living here ever since.

Thanks for the great find!

Rebbecca

[Tony]

Hello Rebbecca,

Firstly welcome to the forum and secondly thanks for posting the information. It's just amazing to hear that the man pictured above is still alive and well.

Tony

[christerd]

:jumping:

Hi Rebbeccka,

Totally amazing First to have this photo identified and now to hear from you and learn that he is still alive and well.

Fantastic, wow! Please send my regards to your grandfather, do you know if he has seen the book about Allied Airmen who

landed in Sweden?

If not I could send him one as a birthday present from Sweden where he was 70 years ago.

Thanks to people like him my parents could wake up one morning in May 1945 and didn´t have to be worried about being

occupied like Norway and Denmark. My father lost a brother when his ship was torpedoed in the Atlantic and my grandfather

was standing at the Norwegian border and looking at the Germans on the other side.

A big Thank you from Sweden to the Olympic country Canada

Best regards

Christer

[Chris Boonzaier]

Were folks repatriated allowed to fight again or were they repatriated under the condition that they sat the war out?

Best

Chris

[rking]

Hi Christer!

Sorry for the late reply, I was hoping to show this thread to my grandfather before I replied to you so he could see the photo for himself. He was absolutely delighted and a little surprised to see it on the internet, he's not too big on computers so trying to navigate him through can be a little amusing. My parents were wondering if you still had the photo or if it would be possible to get a copy of it? We're having a 90th birthday party for him this May so it would really be nice to have a copy of it for everyone to see. They would be delighted to have a copy of the book you mentioned as we are trying to gather the information on his life during the war. If you could give us an idea of the cost for the book and the postage they would be more than willing to pay the cost.

Grampy added a little information to the story about his capture. Apparently there was a row boat waiting for them in the water as they landed, they stepped into the boat and were rowwed to shore. He said they never got their feet wet! The plane was pulled out of the water not too many years ago.

And Chris:

I'm not too sure if everyone was repatriated under the condition of sitting the rest of the war out, but I do know that "the powers that be" felt my grandfather had been through a slightly tramatic event when he was a POW which is why he was sent to Yarmouth, a nice quiet place for him to recover.

He's often said that his time in Sweden was the best vacation he's ever had!

Cheers,

Rebbecca

[christerd]

Hi Rebeccka ,

It took some time to find the book , I thought i would be quite easy but since it was published in 1997 it hade gone from most book sellers. But now I have 2 books on the way to Sweden! One for myself and one for your family.

The price of the book is 38$ , the next mission eas to find the photo again wich I thought would be the least problem.....

But, I haven´t found it yet ..... To my humble defence I have several tousands of World war 1 and world war 2 Photos and postcards. So I have a lot to search trough. And I now for sure that I havent sold it so the photo must be somewhere in my collection BUT I will find it and then I can make a bigger copy for you and enclose with the book.

I keep on looking and let you know when the book arives and I find the Photo again ( I will search the house from roof down )

Best regards from Sweden , right now waiting for spring after the worst winter since 1941-42 !

Christer

[christerd]

Book delayed and delayed and ......

Still waiting for the Book from the publisher , promised to be delivered in April, Than beginning of May and now 5th of June

Well I have at least found another pic from the landing of the Blackburn Skua in Sweden

Here is a pic from a magazine showing the plane moved from the crash site .

[christerd]

sometimes a story is long and neverending .... The book about Aeroplanes wich landed in Sweden during the war years , was paid in advance

but never came .... But I found the photo again after almost 1 year ! Yes I have to many things in my collection , quite clear .

at least something good at the end

Christer

[christerd]

Just before Christmas I bought a book with some more Photos of the Emergency landing of the Skua in 1940

Fascinating story , I hope that Rebecka find this forum again and can find some more info about her grandfather.

First photo shows the two Britisch Flyers outside the home of the local priest , between Lt Wigginson and LAC King stands the Priest and his wife.

The aeroplane itself had a normal (for the time) but sad story . It was stored some time and after the war it was sold as scrap.....

[christerd]

And on this photo you can see how close to the bridge the Aeroplane really ended up

Sept 22nd 1940

[christerd]

And one more pic , showing the two British with a Swedish officer

[christerd]

And last one , showing the plane in quite good condition been towed away for further transport to F 3 (Flight Regiment 3) in Linköping.

[Tony]

I really enjoy reading and seeing the photos in the posts you add to this thread Christer.

Tony

Edited December 25, 2011 by Tony

[kyazer]

Hello everyone,

I'm Rebbecca's little brother from above posts,I figured id comment to let you all know how Ken is doing a year later.

Well first off Ken (my grandfather) had a stroke last year 2011 before Easter & spent several weeks in hospital then subsequently into a Retirement home. His memory started to fade before all of this took place it was just not as noticeable,however he is doing well other then the Alzheimer's. In fact next month May 27th Ken will be turning the big 92.

Thankfully we have been lucky with Ken's Alzheimers as he isn't violent or upset,he is always seen laughing & making jokes.

Thank you once again for this form has given us some happy memory's & to keep his story going for ages.

Cheers,

Michael King

[christerd]

Hi Michael , nice to hear that your grandfather is still around , and 92 !! Thats impressing , If you post or mail your adress I will send a bigger copy of the first photo in the thread. I´m planning to visit the place in Sweden during this summer and if so I can show some pics of how it looks today

Best regards from Sweden

Christer

[C_Hagglund]

Hello everyone.

My grandfather had this amazing story about two english pilots that landed in Sweden.

My grandfather Kjell was 12-13 years at the time. His story was so amazing that me

and my brother made a mini-documentary.

He was around when they salvaged the plane from the water.

It would be nice to connect all the dots. For instance what happened with Mr. King and Mr. Wigginton after the for rescue.

Where they treated well with the Swedish authorities? How was the trip back.

During this summer I will make english subtitles. How my grandfather remember that day.

Yours sincerly

Christoffer

[Mervyn Mitton]

Christoffer - welcome to GMIC. We will look forward to seeing your mini-Doc.. when you complete the sub-titles.

Meanwhile you have added another 'chapter' to this interesting record. Mervyn