Norway’s King Harald V and Queen Sonja will be making a visit to Muskoka May 8/02, to honour the memory of the Muskoka Airport as the site of ‘Little Norway’, the training base for Norwegian airmen during WWII.

  During the German invasion of Norway in 1940-1943 Canada served as a training base and home to over 3,000 Norwegian airmen, soldiers, and sailors. Many members of the Norwegian Air force did their basic training at the Muskoka Airport, which became known as ‘Little Norway’.

  In recognition of this the King and Queen, assisted by the Honourable Andy Mitchell, M.P. for Parry-Sound Muskoka and Secretary of State, will unveil a plaque from the National Historic Monuments and Sites Board dedicating the former Little Norway airbase at the Muskoka airport as a ‘sight of significant historical interest’.

  During the two-hour state visit Wednesday morning the King will also sign a ‘commemorative stone’, donated by the veteran organization R.A.F.A of Norway, officially marking the location of Little Norway. The King will be joined by the Queen in laying a wreath in memory of the pilots who trained at the airbase during the war.

  The King first visited the Muskoka Airport when he was only 5 years old, when his father, Crown Prince Olav, came to the Muskoka airport to officially open ‘Little Norway’. During that time Harald unveiled a Norwegian trainer aircraft named the ‘Spirit of Norway’.

  This visit the King will take part in a re-enactment of that event, unveiling a similar trainer aircraft, dubbed the ‘Spirit of Little Norway’.

  Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor James Bartleman will also be attending, along with various dignitaries, members of the public, and Canadian and Norwegian War Veterans.

  The Norwegian vets will also be visiting a related site at Limberlost near Huntsville. These same Norwegian veterans, along with local members of the Royal Canadian Legion, will tour various elementary schools in Muskoka the day before to discuss the historical significance of Muskoka when it was their air force training base, and relate their personal experiences from the war.