52nd Norwegian Minelaying Flotilla Commemorative Plaque and Tree - Dover, Kent
Posted by: 
MeerRescue
N 51° 07.704 E 001° 18.815
31U E 381995 N 5665455
A small bronze plaque in a small corner memorial garden in Dover, Kent, placed by the 52nd Norwegian Minelaying Flotilla.
Waymark Code: WMM760
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/03/2014
Views: 4
In 1941, Lt-Commander Finn-Christian Stumoen along with men, mainly from the
Norwegian Merchant Service, took command of eight motor launches as part of the
British Navy No52 ML flotilla.
The Norwegians were posted to Dover in July 1942, now with four converted
minelayers that had been fitted with a Dumbflow silencer to enable them to
operate close to the enemy-held coast. They became part of the Light Coast
Defence, headquarters of which was HMS WASP,
now Lord Warden House (Waymark WMDV09)
Sited
in a small corner memorial garden at the junction of Maison Dieu Road and
Pencester Road in Dover, Kent, this small bronze plaque commemorates the
gift of a Norwegian "Christmas Tree" from Lt Commander Finn Christian Stumoen,
from his own forest at Skarnes, some 80 miles from Oslo.
For many years, Finn-Christian gifted a huge Christmas tree to be placed in the
Market Square in Dover each December, until he became too old for the travel.
The Norwegian flag is flown on the flagstaff in the garden on the country’s
national day – 17th May. A small bronze plaque reads;
Presented to the people of Dover
by the
52nd (Norwegian)
Minelaying Flotilla
to
commemorate their service out of the port
from
1942 to 1945 and their lost comrades.