A never seen before - British made - Norwegian Police Forces cap badge

This is a attractive - and not seen before - British made Norwegian Police Forces cap badge worn by the Norwegian Police men in Sweden. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany many Norwegians fled to neutral and unoccupied Sweden to escape the occupiers. Nearly 50,000 registered refugees arrived in Sweden during the war years. In 1942 head of the Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic Science, Harry Söderman, made a visit to London, where he met the exiled Norwegian Minister of Justice Terje Wold. Wold asked Söderman about the possibilities for training Norwegian policemen in Sweden. Söderman himself was positive, but due to Sweden's neutrality policy such a task was not possible in 1942. The first course for 20 policemen started in Stockholm 1 July 1943, and further courses were held over time. The goal was to train police men who could participate in the legal purge in Norway after the war. Funding and other details were discussed by the Norwegian government-in-exile in London. From 12 January 1945 the troops participated in the operations in Finnmark. In total around 1,300 police troops were involved. This operation was decided by the British government. In May 1945 the police troops - taking with them about one month of supplies - were transferred to Norway to help with keeping order and arresting collaborators following the German capitulation. This difficult to find badge is in a good condition.

Code: 52082