HomeIcelandVisiting Iceland for the first time and taking a long shot looking for these photo locations my grandfather took when stationed at RAF Reykjavik during WW2.
Visiting Iceland for the first time and taking a long shot looking for these photo locations my grandfather took when stationed at RAF Reykjavik during WW2.
January 30, 2023
Visiting Iceland for the first time and taking a long shot looking for these photo locations my grandfather took when stationed at RAF Reykjavik during WW2.
As the title states, visiting your beautiful country for the first time and would love to find these locations. My grandfather passed a lot of years ago so obviously I can’t ask him. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
There’s a Facebook group called Gamlar ljósmyndir. It means Old photographs. They could probably tell you all about where these were taken.
There are Facebook groups for old photos as people have said. But there are also museums and photo collections and local historical societies that may help.
Do you know if he was actually stationed in Reykjavík?
The domestic airport at Reykjavik was an RAF base. The background of the pic looks like Mt Esja across the bay from Reykjavik, but lots of mountains in Iceland might look that way.
The first picture could be anywhere.
The second picture is of Kistufell, a part of mount Esjan just north of Reykjavík. Picture is probably taken from one of the camps in Mosfellssveit, but there were many camps in that area, British, Americans and Canadian soldiers.
* Among other things, Antikva has identified camp districts and other military monuments in the land of Sólvellir and Reykjalundur. In fact, only one building is still standing, but in addition to it you can see 31 well-preserved foundations, a car pit, a water source and a road. The housing belonged to Camp Lambton Park, which was one of the numerous barrack neighborhoods that were established in Mosfellsveit soon after the army’s arrival in Iceland in 1940. To the northwest, Camp Lambton Park merged with Camp Clayton Park, and there were a total of 144 barracks in these two neighborhoods at their peak. First the Canadians and then the Americans were based there. In the part of Camp Lambton Park that has survived was the officers’ camp. In addition to barrack neighborhoods for housing, Barrack hospitals were built in several places. One of them was Álafoss Hospital, located close to Camp Lambton Park and Camp Clayton Park. When the hospital began operations, there were 250 hospital beds, but in emergencies, it was possible to receive up to 550 patients. There were almost 200 employees. The hospital was located where Reykjalundur is now and has therefore disappeared, but nearby monuments remind us of it.
I’d guess your grandfather was stationed in Camp Lambton/Clayton in Mosfellssveit.
Barracks are in Mosó (Mosfellsbær) in front of Esjan. There’s some old timers in a facebook group in our town who like to identify these old pictures, I can probably get them to take a look.
Unfortunately there’s almost nothing left of these camps, Icelandic farmers loved the free scrap and they were gutted to build homes/sheephouses 🙂
7 comments
As the title states, visiting your beautiful country for the first time and would love to find these locations. My grandfather passed a lot of years ago so obviously I can’t ask him. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
There’s a Facebook group called Gamlar ljósmyndir. It means Old photographs. They could probably tell you all about where these were taken.
There are Facebook groups for old photos as people have said. But there are also museums and photo collections and local historical societies that may help.
Do you know if he was actually stationed in Reykjavík?
Where did he serve, what unit, where was is stationed? Maybe check here https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-air-force-personnel/
The domestic airport at Reykjavik was an RAF base. The background of the pic looks like Mt Esja across the bay from Reykjavik, but lots of mountains in Iceland might look that way.
The first picture could be anywhere.
The second picture is of Kistufell, a part of mount Esjan just north of Reykjavík. Picture is probably taken from one of the camps in Mosfellssveit, but there were many camps in that area, British, Americans and Canadian soldiers.
https://www.google.is/maps/@64.1786503,-21.6700356,3a,30.1y,12.57h,93.49t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSKc76VAKCYEMiBUl6CKNTg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.is/maps/@64.1899401,-21.6798293,3a,20.1y,23.26h,95.41t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdBtYiRpuXEagBLaR5k3oFg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02Fy6QbZv4c6a69ZprfNgDtUFdkmP8c4ERuKuHbUJfhybZ6rRrqjcwiUBKMWek3sqAl&id=100063539558647
Google translate:
* Among other things, Antikva has identified camp districts and other military monuments in the land of Sólvellir and Reykjalundur. In fact, only one building is still standing, but in addition to it you can see 31 well-preserved foundations, a car pit, a water source and a road. The housing belonged to Camp Lambton Park, which was one of the numerous barrack neighborhoods that were established in Mosfellsveit soon after the army’s arrival in Iceland in 1940. To the northwest, Camp Lambton Park merged with Camp Clayton Park, and there were a total of 144 barracks in these two neighborhoods at their peak. First the Canadians and then the Americans were based there. In the part of Camp Lambton Park that has survived was the officers’ camp.
In addition to barrack neighborhoods for housing, Barrack hospitals were built in several places. One of them was Álafoss Hospital, located close to Camp Lambton Park and Camp Clayton Park. When the hospital began operations, there were 250 hospital beds, but in emergencies, it was possible to receive up to 550 patients. There were almost 200 employees. The hospital was located where Reykjalundur is now and has therefore disappeared, but nearby monuments remind us of it.
I’d guess your grandfather was stationed in Camp Lambton/Clayton in Mosfellssveit.
Barracks are in Mosó (Mosfellsbær) in front of Esjan. There’s some old timers in a facebook group in our town who like to identify these old pictures, I can probably get them to take a look.
Unfortunately there’s almost nothing left of these camps, Icelandic farmers loved the free scrap and they were gutted to build homes/sheephouses 🙂
I know exactly where this is!