All leave was stopped when the Germans invaded Holland, Belgium and France two days after the 4th Lincolns had arrived in Scotland, but despite this a special train took the men to Lincolnshire for 10 days leave. They reported back to a camp near Hawick, Scotland where they were re-equipped.  On Monday 23rd June 1940 the 4th Lincolns set sail again, this time to neutral Iceland which British forces had occupied a few weeks earlier.

The Lincolns were sent to Akureyri, on the north coast.  Although it was the second largest town in Iceland, the population was 6,000--about the size of Horncastle.  The Icelandic people were cold and aloof at first, but the British brought work and trade and gradually the relationship became warm and friendly.  Almost all the population lived on the coast of this barren, volcanic island.  There were hardly any trees, no vegetables were grown and almost everything had to be imported. At first, the Lincolns were under canvas but Nissen huts arrived before the onset of the gloomy winter, when it didn't get light until 10 o'clock and began to get dark again at 3pm.

Some of the men were sent to set up observation posts.  Corporal Tony Bell from Horncastle was sent with five men to a tiny community with only four houses on the north-eastern tip of Iceland. The only way of getting there was by boat. They were given 70 days rations and were rowed ashore. The hearts of the men sank as they watched the coaster disappear over the horizon. The inhabitants came out and stared at them curiously.  Eventually one of them who could speak a little English agreed that they could use a small wooden hut.  The men had to construct some bunks from scrap pieces of wood and cooking had to be done outside on an open fire until they made a stone fireplace with an oven made from some old biscuit tins. Tony's men had to keep a diary with details of all they had seen, but what they would have done had the Germans arrived is anyone's guess as there was no communication with their base.

     The Lincolns' camp at Akureyri.

Many of the men learned how to skate and when Winston Churchill visited Iceland on his way home after a meeting with Roosevelt he suggested that they should train as alpine troops.  Norwegian instructors arrived and the men learned how to ski, climb mountains--and to survive in cold weather. 

Open-air swimming pool.  The water was heated by natural volcanic geysers.

Training as alpine troops.

These charming girls from ENSA braved the dangers and the rough seas of the North Atlantic to entertain the troops at Akureyri.

Eventually, troops from neutral America arrived to occupy neutral Iceland.  After more than two years, the 4th Lincolns finally returned to England in September, 1942.