One of the first ever twinners

In 2026, Burntisland and Flekkefjord will be celebrating 80 years of their twinning relationship. The twinning is centered around a youth exchange program where Burntisland sends a group of their young people to stay with families in Flekkefjord, and the following year those families send their children to stay in Burntisland.

Earlier this year the twinning committee were contacted by Sandy Fraser, who was in one of the first groups to travel to Flekkefjord. On the 3rd of May, we had the privilege of meeting with Sandy and this is his story…

Sandy grew up during the Second World War, which had been challenging with food rationing and the constant threat of air raids. He vividly recalled a day when he saw a German bomber in the sky, whilst playing in the street and was quickly swept up by a neighbour into the cellar of a local house as bombs were dropped. The roof of the janitor's house in Fergusson Place was destroyed, and three other bombs, intended for the bauxite reduction plant in the town, hit the foot of the Binn, leaving craters that remained for many years.

On a warm summer's day in 1950, Sandy Fraser left his hometown of Burntisland for the first time to travel to a different country. As he waited to board the train, he felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation.

On the train platform in Burntisland, Sandy was one of six children aged 13-14 traveling to Flekkefjord in Norway as part of a cultural exchange known as town twinning, set up after the Second World War ended.

The town twinning movement aimed to rebuild relationships between nations heavily impacted by the war, allowing people from different countries to interact and learn about each other's cultures.

Sandy, along with his five fellow twinners, making a group of three girls and three boys plus a youth leader, traveled by train to Newcastle, where they boarded a steamship called the Jupiter. Being so young, traveling to another country and crossing the sea was daunting, but they were thrilled by the post-war freedom.

The three boys shared a cramped cabin in the stern of the steam ship with a Norwegian / Canadian missionary on the 18-hour rough crossing from Newcastle to Stavanger. The noise from the propeller shaft, that was under the floor of the cabin, made the journey across the North Sea more interesting.

They were well-fed on the voyage, and Sandy recalled that after their evening meal, they were served fruit cocktail from a large glass bowl. Having grown up on rations, they enjoyed the treat immensely. Not wanting to waste any, Sandy was allowed to drink the fruit juice that remained in the bowl after they had ladled out all the fruit.

From Stavanger, the town twinners traveled by train for another three hours south to Åna-Sira and then to Flekkefjord, where they met the families with whom they would be staying.

Sandy was hosted by a very nice and welcoming family. The father was the owner of a tailor’s shop on the ground floor of the building, with the house being on the first floor. The family also owned a small island in Lafjord called Holmen, which had a large timber house on it.

Life in Flekkefjord was very different from life in Burntisland. People didn’t talk about the war; there seemed to be a conscious effort to put it behind them. Norway had been occupied by the Germans and had experienced hardship and significant loss as a result.

Sandy and the other twinners stayed in the picturesque town of Flekkefjord with their host families for three weeks. The people were very welcoming and, much like Scots, they found the locals to be outgoing and friendly once they got to know them. Most of the younger people in Flekkefjord spoke English, so Sandy and his friends had no difficulty communicating.

Since it was summer, they took full advantage of the warm weather by frequently eating outside. They relished any opportunity to enjoy their meals outdoors, basking in the fresh air and abundant sunshine. This allowed them to savor the local cuisine and immerse themselves in the natural beauty of Flekkefjord. The long, sunny days provided the perfect backdrop for their outdoor activities, such as boating and fishing, creating cherished memories of their time spent in this charming Norwegian town.

When their stay came to an end, Sandy and the twinners said their goodbyes to their host families, took a final look at the serene beauty of the coastal town, and departed for Stavanger by train and then back to Newcastle by sea. It was an experience of a lifetime, very different from the lives they would return to at home.

Sandy's stay in Flekkefjord fostered a deep regard for Norway and its people. Flekkefjord, with its charming coastal setting and picturesque streets lined with wooden houses adorned with flowers, remains a delightful town. Although Sandy has returned to Norway several times for work, he has yet to revisit Flekkefjord. At 89 years of age, he hopes to make the journey soon.

The twinning link between Burntisland and Flekkefjord was formalised on 24 February

1946, and it is reckoned to be one of the oldest existing town twinning links in the world. Contacts between Burntisland and Norway developed during the Second World War, when Norwegian soldiers were based in Fife.

In 2026, Burntisland and Flekkefjord will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the historic town twinning. To find out more about the town twinning please visit https://burntislandtwinning.org.uk/ and, if you have been involved in the twinning exchange, please get in touch.