Bamse — Attraction in Nordkapp

A memorial to the dog Bamse in and around WW2. No Line No Ticket Just a remarkable story of a dog 🦮

The story goes as follows:

«The St. Bernhard dog Bamse (Norwegian for «teddy bear») came to Honningsvag in 1937. The owner, Erling Hafto, was harbour master in Honningsvag from 1932 to 1968. Bamse was a large and gentle dog, and he loved to play with the children here in Honningsvag, who would ride him like a horse in the summer and have him pull their sledges in the winter. Mr. Hafto was captain on board the patrol boat «Thorodd» which was stationed in Tromse in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII, the Norwegian King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and their entourage escaped on 7 June on the cruiser «Devonshire». They left from Tromso and their destination was England. The «Thorodd» followed the cruiser and Bamse was on board with his owner. During WWII the vessel used the ports in Montrose and Dundee (Scotland). Photos of Bamse wearing a Royal Norwegian Navy sailor's collar and cap or a metal helmet were sent to Norwegians all across the world, particularly in connection with festive occasions such as Christmas and May 17th. The vessel «Thorodd» was converted into a minesweeper during the war. Captain Hafto was in charge of the minesweeper until 9 September 1940, when he was assigned to the minesweeper «Nordkapp», which was operating out of Iceland. The crew of the «Thorodd» strongly opposed letting Bamse follow the owner. This is how the incredible story of the sea dog Bamse starts. Even after 60 years, articles, books and TV report about Bamse are still being produced. Bamse's connection with Honningsvag was further reinforced in that the ship's senior officer on board from 23.2.1942 to 24.6.1944 was lieutenant Oscar J. Jenssen. After the war he was appointed official ship's pilot in Honningsvg (1952-1974), and became Bamse's new «master». Bamse died on 24 July 1944. More than 800 children and adults attended the funeral, which took place with full military honours in Montrose. On 30 September 1984, Bamse was awarded Norges hundeorden, and in July 2006 he received the PSDA Gold Medal, which is the equivalent of the George Cross (GC) but for animals. On 17 October 2006, a bronze statue of Bamse was erected in Montrose. erected in Montrose. The statue was unveiled by HRH Prince Andrew - The Duke of York, KG, KCVO.»

Text from the Plaque behind...

Bamse byl slavný pes plemene svatobernardský pes, který se stal ikonou odvahy a loajality během druhé světové války. Jeho příběh je úzce spjat s přístavem Honningsvåg v Norsku. Bamse byl vlastněn kapitánem norské pobřežní hlídkové lodi Thorodd. Narodil se v roce 1937 a stal se součástí posádky lodi, která operovala v oblasti kolem Honningsvågu. Během druhé světové války se Bamse stal symbolem odvahy a morálky. Pomáhal udržovat posádku v dobré náladě a často zasahoval, aby zabránil rvačkám mezi námořníky. Bamse je známý pro několik hrdinských činů. Například jednou zachránil člena posádky, který spadl přes palubu, a také zasáhl, aby chránil námořníky před útokem. Bamse se stal symbolem jednoty a odvahy nejen pro posádku, ale i pro místní obyvatelstvo. Byl známý tím, že sám cestoval autobusem do města, kde často navštěvoval místní školy a obchody. Na počest jeho odvahy a přínosu byla v Honningsvågu postavena socha Bamseho. Jeho příběh je dodnes připomínán jako příklad loajality a odvahy. Bamse zůstává významnou historickou postavou, která je v Norsku i mimo něj stále obdivována pro své hrdinské skutky a pozitivní vliv na komunitu během těžkých...

The statue of the famous Sea-dog Bamse is located next a cruise ship pier. Bamse was a dog of Captain Hafto, master of the Norwegian whaler Thorodd. This ship was destined for coast patrols during World War II and Bamse was estimated by crew because he was a very kind and brave dog. He was mascot of the...