Immediately following the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April 1940, the United Kingdom occupied the stragically important Faroe Islands to pre-empt a German invasion. The occupation was considered friendly; British troops left shortly after the end of the War.

The location of the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic was of strategic importance to the UK

Location map for the Faroe Islands. ... Location map for the Faroe Islands. ...

The occupation

2005 Faroese stamp commemorating the friendly wartime relations between British soldiers and the Faroese population

British naval gun from World War II at Skansin fortress, Tórshavn

The gravestone of a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot near Vágar Airport

Remains of the British barracks at Vágar Airport

At the time of the occupation, the Faroe Islands had the status of an amt (county) of Denmark. The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the air force arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. ... AMT or amt, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to: An abbreviation of the word amount. The Agence métropolitaine de transport, a public transportation organization Montreal Amt, an administrative unit in several European countries Anxiety Management Training a form of treatment for anxiety. ...

Following the invasion and occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, British forces launched "Operation Valentine" to occupy the Faroe Islands. On 11 April, Winston Churchill - then First Lord of the Admiralty - announced to the House of Commons that the Faroe Islands would be occupied: Headquarters of the Schalburgkorps, a Danish SS unit, after 1943. ... Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician and author, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War in which he led the nation, standing alone against Hitler, to a great... The First Lord of the Admiralty was a British government position in charge of the Admiralty. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

"We are also at this moment occupying the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark and which are a strategic point of high importance, and whose people showed every disposition to receive us with warm regard. We shall shield the Faroe Islands from all the severities of war and establish ourselves there conveniently by sea and air until the moment comes when they will be handed back to Denmark liberated from the foul thraldom into which they have been plunged by German aggression."

An announcement was broadcast by the BBC radio. An aircraft of the Royal Air Force (RAF) was seen over Tórshavn on the same day. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

On 12 April, two destroyers of the British Royal Navy arrived in Tórshavn harbour. Following a meeting with Carl Aage Hilbert (the Danish Prefect of the Islands) and Kristian Djurhuus (President of the Faroese Parliament - the Løgting), an emergency meeting of the Løgting was convened the same afternoon. Pro-independence members tried to declare the independence of the Faroe Islands but were outvoted. An official announcement was later made announcing the occupation and ordering a nighttime blackout in Tórshavn and neighbouring Argir, the censorship of post and telegraphy and the prohibition of the use of motor vehicles during the night without a permit.^[1] The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... The peninsula Tinganes is seat of the Faroese Government in Tórshavn. ... The Løgting, or Løgtingið is the parliament of the Faroe Islands, a self ruling dependency of Denmark. ... The Løgting, or Løgtingið is the parliament of the Faroe Islands, a self ruling dependency of Denmark. ... A blackout in time of war, or apprehended war, refers to the practice of collectively minimizing external light, including upward-directed (or reflected) light. ... The peninsula Tinganes is seat of the Faroese Government in Tórshavn. ... Argir is a village in the country Faroe Islands. ...

On 13 April, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Suffolk arrived at Tórshavn. Colonel T B W Sandall (the British military commander) and Frederic Mason (the new British Consul to the Faroe Islands) then met with the Danish Prefect. The Prefect responded with what Sandall took to be a formal protest, though Hilbert maintained that owing to the occupation of Denmark he was unable to formally represent the Danish government. He duly accepted the British terms on the basis that the UK would not seek to interfere with the internal affairs of the islands. A formal protest was however made by the Løgting, though expressing the wish for friendly relations. 250 Royal Marines were disembarked, later to be replaced by other British troops. In practice, cordial relations were maintained between the British forces and the Faroese authorities. HMS Suffolk (55) was the Kent class cruiser for the Royal Navy. ... The Løgting, or Løgtingið is the parliament of the Faroe Islands, a self ruling dependency of Denmark. ... Her Majestys Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious force and Naval Infantry. ...

In May, the Royal Marines were replaced by soldiers of the Lovat Scouts, a Scottish Regiment. In 1942, they were replaced by the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). From 1944, the British garrison was considerably reduced. Her Majestys Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious force and Naval Infantry. ... The Lovat Scouts was a yeomanry regiment of the Territorial Army, now a platoon of the 51st Highland Regiment. ... This article is about the year. ... The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry. ...

A notable visitor to the Faroe Islands during World War II was the author Eric Linklater, then serving as an officer in the British Army. His 1956 novel The Dark of Summer was set in the Faroe Islands during the war years. He also wrote The Northern Garrisons: The Army at War (HMSO, 1941) and the foreword to Kenneth Williamson's 1948 book The Atlantic Islands: a Study of the Faeroe Life and Scene. Eric Robert Russell Linklater (1899-1974) was a Scottish writer, known for more than 20 novels, also short stories, travel writing and autobiography, and military history. ... Her Majestys Stationery Office (usually abbreviated as HMSO) is part of the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. ...

Consequences

A plaque has been erected by British veterans in Tórshavn Cathedral expressing thanks for the kindness shown to them by the Faroese people during their presence. Approximately 170 marriages took place between British soldiers and Faroese women.

The Faroe Islands received occasional attacks by German Luftwaffe aircraft in the course of the war, but a full-scale invasion was never attempted. Drifting sea mines proved to be a considerable problem and resulted in the loss of numerous fishing boats and their crews. The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (German: air force, literally Air Arm or Air Weapon, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...

To prevent inflation, Danish banknotes in circulation on the islands were overstamped with a mark indicating their validity only in the Faroe Islands. The Danish Krone (in the Faroe Islands) was fixed at 22.4 DKK to £1 Sterling. Emergency banknotes were issued, and specially-issued Faroese banknotes were later printed by Bradbury Wilkinson in England.^[2] See also: Faroese króna ISO 4217 Code DKK User(s) Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands (coins only in the latter case) Inflation rate 1. ... Sterling may refer to: Sterling (car), a British automobile manufacturer. ... The Faroese króna is the currency of the Faroes. ...

During the occupation, the Løgting was given full legislative powers, albeit as an expediency given the occupation of Denmark. Although Iceland became an independent republic in 1944, Churchill refused to countenance a change in the constitutional status of the Faroe Islands whilst Denmark was still occupied. Following the liberation of Denmark and the end of World War II in Europe, the occupation was terminated in May 1945 and the last British soldiers left in September. The experience of wartime self-government did, however, mean that a return to the pre-war status of an amt (county) was unrealistic and unpopular. A referendum on independence was held in 1946; subsequently formal autonomy was established in 1948 (albeit within the Danish realm). Headquarters of the Schalburgkorps, a Danish SS unit, after 1943. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Franklin Roosevelt Joseph Stalin Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... AMT or amt, a three-letter abbreviation, may refer to: An abbreviation of the word amount. The Agence métropolitaine de transport, a public transportation organization Montreal Amt, an administrative unit in several European countries Anxiety Management Training a form of treatment for anxiety. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ...

The largest tangeable sign of the British presence is the runway of Vágar Airport. Other reminders include the naval guns at the fortress of Skansin in Tórshavn, which served as the British military headquarters. A continuing reminder is the Faroese love of British chocolate, such as Dairy Milk (which is readily available in shops throughout the islands, unlike Denmark). Map of Faroe Islands. ... The peninsula Tinganes is seat of the Faroese Government in Tórshavn. ... The bar designs of last 100 years, with the oldest to the back Dairy Milk is a brand of chocolate bar made by Cadburys popular in the United Kingdom and around the world. ...

Airport

The only airfield on the Faroe Islands was built in 1942-1943 on the island of Vágar by the Royal Engineers of the British Army. The majority of the British personnel in the Faroes were stationed at Vágar, mostly working on the construction of the airfield. Although disused after the war, it was reopened as the civilian Vágar Airport in 1963. This article is about the year. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Vágar, or Vágoy is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the large islands. ... The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Map of Faroe Islands. ...

The status of the Faroese flag

Faroese flag

Following the occupation of Denmark by Germany, Faroese vessels were no longer permitted by the British Admiralty to fly the Danish flag. This was of considerable significance given the importance of the fishing fleet to the Faroese economy. Following some intensive discussions between the British occupation authorities, the Faroese authorities and the Danish Prefect, as well as discussions between the UK Foreign Office and the Danish Embassy in London, on 25th April 1940 the British authorities recognised the Faroese flag - the Merkið - as the civil ensign of the Faroe Islands. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Faroe_Islands. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Faroe_Islands. ... Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... Flag Ratio: 28:37 Flag Ratio: 10:19 (the black portion is not part of the flag) The national flag of Denmark is more commonly known as the Dannebrog. ... The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Whitehall, seen from St. ... Flag ratio: 8:11 The flag of the Faroe Islands is an offset cross, following as with other Nordic flags the tradition set by the Dannebrog. ... The civil ensign (a. ...

See also

• Faroe Islands
• Lovat Scouts
• Occupation of Denmark
• Operation Weserübung - the German invasion of Denmark and Norway
• Politics of the Faroe Islands

The Lovat Scouts was a yeomanry regiment of the Territorial Army, now a platoon of the 51st Highland Regiment. ... Headquarters of the Schalburgkorps, a Danish SS unit, after 1943. ... Operation Weserübung was the German codename for Nazi Germanys assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. ... Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Føroyar Data code: FO Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948 Government type: Constitional Monarchy Capital: Tórshavn Administrative divisions: 36...

External links

• Faroese currency during the British occupation, by Garry Saint
• Detailed account of the occupation on the "Faroe Stamps" website

References