Record Groups
Metadata
Collection |
Cleveland Family Papers |
Object Name |
Collection |
Catalog Number |
RG-172 |
Dates of Creation |
1939-2008 |
Extent of Description |
0.2 linear feet (1 box) |
Admin/Biographical History |
Pat Cleveland née Blackburn was born in London. She remembers living through the air raids of WWII. During World War II, her father, James, served in the British Army at Dunkirk. Afterwards, he volunteered for a top secret mission, Operation Freshman. This British airborne operation targeted the Vemork Norsk Hydro chemical plant which produced heavy water for German's nuclear weapons program. James' glider crash landed and the survivors were captured by the Nazis and held as prisoners of war in Grini Concentration Camp. In January 1943, along with four other British soldiers, James was shot and buried in a mass grave outside the camp in Trandum forest. After the war, the bodies were exhumed and buried in a cemetery in Oslo. Pat's mother married an American soldier in 1945 and they immigrated to the United States. |
Copyrights |
No restriction on use. |
Language of Material |
English and Norwegian. |
Scope & Content |
The Cleveland Family Papers focus primarily on the wartime experiences of James Blackburn, a sapper in the British Army. These papers include historical publications, photographs, letters, and articles pertaining to Pat Cleveland's search for her father's story. Folder 1 contains donation materials, including an inventory of items donated. Folder 2 has biographical material on Pat Cleveland, including a speech she gave in 2008 about her search for her father. Folder 3 holds Army documentation of the death and burial of James Blackburn. Folder 4 contains correspondence following the end of the war, largely pertaining to the discovery of the fate of James Blackburn. Several of the letters are written in Norwegian. Folder 5 has several accounts of Operation Freshmen and what transpired during the secret operation to hinder German's nuclear operations. Folder 6 contains information regarding Trandum Forest, which was used by the Germans as an execution site. Folder 7 holds several copies of photographs, some modern photos featuring several of the resistance fighters who had met James. Finally, Folder 8 contains several article clippings outlining Pat's discovery of her father's fate. |
Subjects |
Operation Freshmen Vemork Norsk Hydro Chemical Plant Telemark, Norway Oslo, Norway Grini Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Trandom Forest Norweigan resistance movement |