Posted on 02/11/2005 2:56:49 PM PST by franksolich
Canine war hero gets Scottish statue
Bamse, a Norwegian St. Bernard that symbolized national freedom and resistance during WWII, will be memorialized in a life-sized bronze statue in the Scottish city of Montrose.
Bamse, which means teddy bear, sailed to Britain on the Royal Norwegian Navy (KNM) minesweeper Thorodd in 1940, part of the flotilla that carried King Haakon VII into safety, newspaper The Scotsman reports.
The dog became a favorite with locals as well as Norwegian troops fighting to liberate Norway from abroad. The mascot of the Royal Norwegian Navy, Bamse regularly sailed at the front gun tower of the ship when the Thorodd went into battle, and only left his post when fighting ended, The Scotsman reported.
Norway's Defense web site Forsvarsnett writes that the loyal marine hound rounded up his human shipmates when local bars closed and made sure they made it back to their vessel.
Bamse reputedly knew every pub in town and had his own bus card hanging around his neck on a chain. The St. Bernard soon became so well known in Montrose that bus drivers would just pick him up if they passed him on the road.
The beloved dog had his own helmet made for him to protect him during his battle watch and according to legend, the entire crew of the Thorodd jumped overboard to save Bamse when he once fell into the water.
Bamse passed away in the summer of 1944, just nine years old. He was buried outside of Montrose, near a lighthouse, with his head facing Norway. About 800 schoolchildren and the crews of eight Norwegian navy vessels attended Bamse's funeral.
On July 4, 2004 the crew of the Norwegian submarine KNM Utvær held a memorial celebration in Montrose to honor the 60th anniversary of Bamse's death.
Henny King, a member of the Montrose Port Authority board, learned of Bamse in April last year and decided to start the campaign to erect the statue, which will cost GBP 50,000 (USD 93,500).
So this was the dog that went with Haakon VII, surely one of the finest kings ever to grace a throne, in May-June 1940.
When the Germans invaded all these countries, usually the leaders and governments immediately high-tailed it to London, but in the case of the valiant Norwegians and their king, well, Haakon VII was chased west from Oslo, and then more than a thousand miles northward, way past the Arctic Circle, insisting he had a moral obligation to stick around until there was not a square inch of free Norway left.
"Ping" for the Norway ping list.
All applicants for the Norway ping list considered; the Norway ping list is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity, ping list.
Since this is the weekend, and the Norwegians are undoubtedly tasting the aquavit, it is reasonable to expect a slump in readership of the Norway ping list, because nothing seems to happen in Norway on weekends, because of the aforementioned aquavit, the national drink of our allies in the War against Terror.
By the way, the most excellent translator (from Norwegian to English) at the Aftenposten, Jonathan Tisdall, does need one minor English lesson.
I was always under the impression--and based upon first-hand and up-close experience--that the Scots dislike the term "Scottish;" that the proper word is "Scots."
Any Scotsmen or lassies to weigh in on this?
"Bamse" means something like "Teddy Bear" in Scandinavian languages.
Some Danish friends of mine used to have a big orange tabby by that name. Quite the hunter he was too, taking down rabbits and even weasels in the woods around their home.
Slightly off topic, but here goes anyway. When I was touring Ireland 3 years ago, it was explained to me that any EU funded development project -- like a highway -- has a "set-aside" for art works. As a result there is a proliferation of roadside statues at pull-offs & town squares commemorating the most obscure things. The statues are usually tied to local lore, and you usually have to have it explained to you because some of the stuff seems really off-the-wall for the uninitiated. It seems like this statue of the St. Bernard falls into a similar category.
Not off the topic at all, sir; in fact, if you joined the Norway ping list, you would find the Norway ping list goes all over the table--for example, where a discussion of Norwegian whales evolves into how the French behave in their own colonies and territories.
The Norway ping list is wide-open, sir.
Anyway, yeah, I am familiar with that rule of the European "Union," which is sort of like state governments here demanding that 5% of budgets for buildings go into "art," but in this case, it appears this was done solely for the love of the dog.
That was a wonderful Norwegian dog, sir, Bamse; I tried to get the photograph onto the text of this posting, but alas failed. A great dog.
As a dog breeder, I can relate to those "special" dogs -- the one's you just don't forget. You have to respect any project like this where people dig into their own pockets.
BTW, can you add me to your ping list? Thanks.
You're on, sir.
This by the way makes you an honorary Norwegian.
<<lived in Allentown and Hazleton areas in Pennsylvania during the 1980s.
There is something particularly "civilized" about the way that dogs are treated in European countries. Seeing a dog in a pub or at a sidewalk cafe just makes my day.
What I found amusing was that the dog "rounded up" Norwegian sailors when it was time to get back to the ship--like perhaps Bamse made a round of the pubs, dragging the aquavited sailors along the ground, to the docks.
I wish I could say that here in Nebraska, the Norway of America, people treat dogs with the same affection and respect--but while they do not exactly mistreat them, they do seem to treat them as so many cattle or bison (and of course to mistreat a steer is the same as throwing money away, and so that is not done).
Dogs are great, not because they are dogs, and so loyal, but because they all have distinctive personalities and characters.
I could use some aquavit advice. Which is the best? Is it really the "linie" acquavit? Unfortunetly, I can't find that anywhere. I tend to just drink the Danish Aaalborg because it is inexpensive and better than some of the more expensive swedish ones on the shelves.
Thank you, madam; I wanted to include that photograph of the dog himself, but the forms 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, the schedules, the farm income and expenses, the small business single owner income and expenses, &c., &c., &c., deterred me from learning how to post this thing.
Again, thank you.
Ha! You make sense of all that tax stuff, more power to ya! I take the easy way out and use Turbo Tax, lol.
Bet you a dollar the Scotts never built a statue for some rinky-dink cat!
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I bet you're right; but maybe cats weren't allowed in bars, LOL!
Norway's Defense web site Forsvarsnett writes that the loyal marine hound rounded up his human shipmates when local bars closed and made sure they made it back to their vessel. Bamse reputedly knew every pub in town and had his own bus card hanging around his neck on a chain
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