Bamse

Lovely hot sunny day again so took a walk round the harbour in Montrose. Have been meaning to photograph Bamse for a long time and today provided the perfect lighting for that.

Bamse (pronounced Bump-sa in Norway) (1937-1944) was owned by Captain Hafto of the Norwegian Navy.

When WW2 broke out Captain Hafto took Bamse with him on the minesweeper ‘Thorodd’ which was stationed in Montrose. As a registered crew member and wearing a steel helmet Bamse would stand guard in the foremost gun tower and would not move until hostilities were over.

When he died in 1944 he was buried in the sand dunes of Montrose. His funeral was attended by thousands of town residents so much was he loved by the locals.

In her book ‘Silent Heroes’ Evelyn Le Chene says of Bamse’s funeral:
‘Grown men who had stoically endured a cruel war, separation from their families, grave losses and exile from their country cried openly. Grief was not confined to the Thorodd it was instantly echoed far and wide, in the naval depots, on visiting ships, buses and in all local schools. There could not have been a more loving bond between two peoples, the Norwegians and Scots, than that which Bamse had created’.