Visit to Norway 20-22 May
Speech delivered by HRH The Princess Royal at the Vemork Museum on 21 May:
“Can I begin by thanking the Museum Director and her staff for making us so welcome. I am very pleased to be the Patron of this Project. In her speech the Director of the museum referred to the fact that I and to be able to visit this museum. Visiting the site of Operation GUNNERSIDE and seeing the Cellar has a particular significance for me personally, as over the years I was fortunate enough to meet Jochim Ronneberg, as well as colleagues in the Linge Company, on a number of occasions. They were very special people, and having some of their relatives present with us today makes the occasion today even more memorable.
I know, from having spoken to Joachim and others, just how important Op GUNNERSIDE was in disrupting the supply of heavy water to the Germans and helping to prevent Germany from acquiring atomic weapons. But success came at a cost, and we remember the tragic loss of life of both commandos and air crew involved in Op FRESHMAN, the first attempt to sabotage the plant which sadly failed. We remember also those who died later on the Hydro ferry. The building we are standing in today and the displays in the main museum are a wonderful tribute to those brave men and those who helped them who risked everything. I congratulate everyone who contributed to their refurbishment. But there is always more that can be done to remind future generations just how remarkable to wartime relationship between our two countries was, and the very special people involved. So today, I am announcing on behalf of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project of which I am Patron, the launch of a competition to select a Norwegian sculptor to create a statue which will commemorate the bravery of those Norwegians and British who risked their lives in the campaign to restore freedom in Norway.”
The statue will in due course be presented by the Project as a gift to the city of Oslo and will take its place alongside the other memorials to the wartime Resistance. In a concluding comment the Princess Royal added that she hoped to be able to return to Norway in due course to see the finished statue.
At the end of World War II, neither the British nor Norwegian Governments made any public acknowledgement of the close cooperation between SIS and SOE, and the Norwegian Resistance groups, the Linge Company and Milorg. This was unfortunate given the significant contribution of their work to the Allied War effort but was due to the secrecy surrounding British intelligence operations. The situation has now changed, and it has become possible to acknowledge the extent of the remarkable achievements on which Britain and Norway cooperated. The Anglo-Norwegian Commemoration Project, of which Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal became Patron in 2023, has the aim of increasing public recognition of this important chapter in the history of Norway and the United Kingdom.
Her Royal Highness has met many of the key figures of the Norwegian Resistance such as Joachim Rønneberg, and has heard a number of speeches highlighting Operation GUNNERSIDE, the SOE Operation to disrupt the supply of Heavy Water to Germany. She has also previously met numerous members of the Norwegian Special Forces.
Background
The visit is intended to increase public awareness of the Project.
In addition to the visit by HRH The Princess Royal, the project will consist of further elements. These currently include:
A memorial plaque, to be located in the Resistance Museum, which Her Royal Highness and HRH Crown Prince Haakon will unveil together during her visit.
An exchange of prominent speakers who will give talks on themes linked to Anglo-Norwegian historical cooperation in this field. Sir Richard Moore, Chief of SIS, gave the first of these speeches in Oslo in 2023.
There will be additional elements as the Project develops.