Feature, Freight News, Logistics, Road, Sea

Last leg for Trafalgar Square tree

[ December 5, 2017   //   Chris ]

Once again, the Christmas tree gifted by the people of Norway has made its way from the Scandinavian forests to Trafalgar Square, courtesy of DFDS.

It left DFDS Immingham’s terminal on 2 December by trailer for the last leg of its journey to London.
After the Nazis invaded Norway in 1940, Norway’s King Haakon VII escaped to England. Norwegian Government headquarters were set up in London, from where war news was broadcast in Norwegian, along with messages and information vital to the resistance movement in Norway. In return, the resistance secretly sent a tree from Norway to make the King feel closer to his homeland.

A tree has been selected from the forests around Oslo since 1947 in recognition of Britain’s help and support during the Second World War.

It’s not just any old tree, either. In contrast the ragged specimens at your local garden centre, it must have evenly set branches, be cone shaped and narrow enough to transport. Candidate trees are fertilised regularly to ensure they achieve a strong green colour.

From a practical point of view, it also needs to grow near a road.
DFDS ships the tree free of charge on its liner service from Brevik, Norway to Immingham.

Tags: DFDS