“Glasgow” veterans,
ladies and gentlemen,

Molde holds a central place in a crucial part of Norwegian history – the years of the Second World War. For those who experienced the outbreak of the war during those dramatic days in April 1940, today must be a very special day – bringing back memories and reviving events. We are gathered here today in gratitude for the freedom and the peace that it took five years to regain.

For those of us belonging to the post-war generation, this day is a powerful reminder of what our parents had to go through. We see that the freedom and the prosperity we enjoy was dearly bought. I want to thank everyone who participated in the struggle for liberation.

Monday 29 April 1940 will forever remain one of the darkest days – indeed probably the darkest day – in Molde’s history. German bombs were raining down. Already around noon it looked as if the town would be totally destroyed. In the early evening Molde Church was still standing, her slim tower pointing upwards towards a better world. Everyone hoped that the church would be spared. But bombs again rained over Molde.

Today the town lies peacefully here along the fjord, sheltered by mountains. Sixty-four years ago the town was on fire and the fjord was a battlefield.

In the late evening of that Monday 29 April, the British cruiser HMS “Glasgow” took on board a group of passengers under very difficult conditions at Storkaia here in Molde harbour. German planes were still attacking and Molde was ablaze. The passengers were Norway’s King Haakon the Seventh and Crown Prince Olav, Norway’s Government, some civil servants and a few foreign diplomats. Their luggage was gold from the vaults of the Bank of Norway.

Norway’s Prime Minister at the time, Johan Nygaardsvold, later wrote:

“We drove through burnt-down areas ... and through areas where houses were still on fire, where sparks were flying and the heat was almost unbearable. ... At last we reached the quays, the whole area ablaze. The British cruiser “Glasgow”, a big one weighing 11,000 tons, had all her fire hoses working, pouring Niagara-like cascades of water over the quays. Sheltered by these cascades we boarded the cruiser.
Shortly after we had boarded, but before all our luggage had been loaded, German planes appeared over Molde, heading directly toward the ‘Glasgow’. We were ordered below deck, while air defence guns opened fire. The cruiser immediately cast off, heading for the open sea.”
End of quote.

After having fled Oslo on 9 April to avoid the German attack on the capital, the King and his government reached the eastern outskirts of Molde on 23 April. The town had already been under German air attacks, while German ground troops were in the process of occupying an increasingly larger part of southern Norway.

At noon on 29 April the British ambassador informed the Government that allied troops would have to cease their efforts to halt German troops moving north through the valleys of Gudbrandsdalen and Romsdalen. A few hours later the Government was invited by the British to board a British cruiser here in Molde at 11 in the evening. The “Glasgow” was due to arrive from Shetland, commanded by Captain Frank Pegram.

In response to the Government’s request, the “Glasgow” set course for Tromsø, arriving there in the evening of 1 May. Prime Minister Nygaardsvold later wrote:

“We were sailing way out at sea and at great speed. Two destroyers escorted us the whole way ... . ... as the cruiser zig-zagged far offshore; the voyage lasted close to 48 hours.
Our stay on board the ‘Glasgow’ was excellent. The weather was good the whole time, and as far as I could see, everything was done to bring us safely to our destination. ... Gun turrets and air defence guns were fully manned night and day. The food on board was good, the beds as well, and on the quarterdeck we had ample space to walk.”
End of quote.

In Tromsø the Government was able to function for another month, preparing the country – as best they could – for the difficult times ahead. In early June the war on the European continent had come to a point where allied troops also had to be withdrawn from northern Norway. This happened despite the fact that Norwegian and allied troops had just given Nazi troops their first defeat, in the Battle of Narvik.

On 7 June the King and the Government had to flee the country. At the invitation of the British Government, another British cruiser - the HMS “Devonshire” - took them from Tromsø to England, for an exile that was to last for five years.

A few hours before leaving Molde on the “Glasgow” that April night sixty-four years ago, King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav sought refuge at the forest’s edge up here at Glomstua. German planes were again attacking. In the late-April sunshine the King and his son were photographed beside the white trunk of a birch soon to burst into leaf.

Five years were to pass before the new leaves of another spring would see the King and his government back in a free Norway. If it had not been for the “Glasgow” and her valiant crew, our history might have been dramatically different.

“Glasgow” veterans! Some of you have come a long way– even from Australia - to be with us here today. I bring you warm greetings from His Majesty King Harald V, whom I talked to this morning about this gathering. On His Majesty’s behalf and on behalf of the Government and the people of Norway, I would like to express our sincere and profound gratitude to the “Glasgow” and her crew, represented here by you today.

We honour you and your comrades for your crucial service in our darkest hour.
The strong ties between Norway and Britain were greatly enhanced by your efforts. May the struggle you fought here strengthen us in our fight to help those who are now living under similar conditions in other parts of the world.

Our warmest thanks to all of you.