Clarence is no longer with us but his legacy lives on…
Please note that artificial intelligence was used to help me convey the following.
A reader has recently discovered Clarence Simonsen’s extensive research about Little Norway, which was originally published here as a three-part series.
While Clarence is no longer with us to see the lasting impact of his work—and to share in the absolute thrill of this discovery—his legacy as a historian continues to bear fruit and connect generations.
Thanks to his meticulously preserved archives, the son of a Royal Norwegian Air Force veteran found this blog and reached out to share a priceless piece of his own family history, adding a profound new chapter to the story Clarence dedicated himself to telling.
Introduction
Part One is here.
Part Two is here.
Little Norway – Another Update: The Journey of the Stockholm Seven
It is always incredible how this blog brings people together and how readers continue to add priceless puzzle pieces to the historical research preserved here.
Recently, Thorleif Schjelderup left a moving comment on the blog regarding a specific group of seven young men who escaped occupied Europe to join the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNAF) in Canada.
His father was one of them.
Here is the valuable information and transcription Thorleif shared from his father’s original 1945 written statement.
The Escape from Stockholm
According to a written report left by Gunnar Schjelderup (RNAF service number 1628) in June 1945, right after he returned to a liberated Norway, a group of seven men traveled together from Stockholm, Sweden, beginning on 20 May 1941.
The seven men in this party were:
Carl S Bødtker
Ragnar A Brigg
Christian Grande
Ole Herman Backer
John Peder Ditlev-Simonsen
Johan W Garben
Gunnar Schjelderup
From Hong Kong to Toronto
Their journey to North America took them halfway around the world. They boarded the SS Granville, which departed from Hong Kong on 26 June 1941, and arrived in San Pedro, California, on 17 July 1941.
Just a few days later, on 21 July, they left Los Angeles. The majority of the group—five of them, excluding Garben and Ditlev-Simonsen—finally arrived in Toronto to join the training camp at Little Norway on 25 July 1941 (noted as 24 July in one account).
The Heavy Toll of War
Tragically, as Thorleif points out, three of these seven brave men never made it back home to see a free Norway. Their names are forever etched into the sacrifice of the RNAF:
Ole Herman Backer was killed in a training accident in Canada on 24 January 1943.
John Peder Ditlev-Simonsen was killed in action (shot down over the Continent) on 14 January 1945.
Johan W Garben was also killed in action (shot down over the Continent) on 13 March 1945.
A big thank you to Thorleif Schjelderup for reaching out and sharing this direct window into his father’s journey. It is exactly because of families keeping these written statements alive that we can continue honoring the memory of those who trained at Little Norway.
Preserving the Past II 