How an object tells a story

Alison Mair owns this little wooden carved bowl and it sits on a shelf in her home.  It belonged to her grandmother, who was given it in gratitude by the Norwegian she gave a home to during the Second World War.  Alison explains its significance and the story behind it. 

My granny, Mary Smith, was typical of many Buckie wifies during the War and like others in the civilian population she 'did her bit' for the war effort.  

Mary Smith on the right with her family.

Granny was born in 1911 and married my grandfather, George Smith, in 1932.  They lived at 59 High Street.  During the War, folk from the Town Council came round in search of 'spare rooms' that could be used to house the influx of Danish and Norwegian refugees to the town after the Germans had invaded in their home countries. 

Granny had plenty of room and she ended up housing members of the Hitsøy family.  They had fled from Fjell in Norway on 27 August 1941 and arrived at Lerwick two days later.  There were thirty-two people on that little boat.  It was skippered by Nils Hitsøy and his sixteen year old son Leif.  Nils's brothers Hallvard, Mathias, Olav, Mikkel, Jens, and Kristoffer were all on the board too.  A good few of the others on board ended up in Buckie too like the Hansens, including little Lilly Marie Hansen who was only two years old at the time.

Granny took in the Hitsøys.  Nils and Leif fished out of Buckie on their little boat, and Hallvard worked at the Royal Norwegian Slip that was set up at the harbour and we've got this photo of him with King Haakon and Prince Olav when they visited.  Leif Hitsøy, the skipper's son (above right), left Buckie in 1943 when he joined the Norwegian Navy. 

​At the end of the war, Hallvard left this little bowl which he had made at the boatyard at the harbour as a thank you for all that granny had done.  She also got a copy of the certificate of gratitude which lots of the Norwegians signed.  ​

This little bowl is so important to us.  It's part of our family history but it's also about big things too, war and refugees and being kind to people in difficulty.  So it's a really important thing and it is about something granny did that we are proud of.

Alison's story was originally collected digitally and then followed up by an interview and opportunity to scan and photograph the objects.  It informed two of the stories of the Little Norway website.  Subsequently, she has been appeared in the Norwegian press and been filmed for a documentary by Norwegian filmmakers.  

Alison tells her story for Norwegian television