Liberation Convoy to recreate wartime route from Norway to UK for VE Day events
Fishing boats and a merchant ship were used to smuggle special forces soldiers and secret agents from Shetland to Nazi-occupied Norway.
A flotilla of “Shetland Bus” vessels used for secret operations during the Second World War will cross from Norway to Scotland to remember unsung heroes ahead of VE Day commemorations.
The fishing boats and merchant ship were used to smuggle special forces soldiers and secret agents from Shetland to Nazi-occupied Norway.
They also carried weapons, explosives and radios for the resistance movement and on their return journeys brought refugees and soldiers escaping from the Nazis.
Vessels travelling the route, dubbed the “Shetland Bus”, were at constant risk of discovery by German submarines and planes.
Some of the boats used during the war are now being reunited to take part in a Liberation Convoy which will travel from Norway to Lerwick in Shetland next month, arriving in time for events commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 8.
They include MK Andholmen, which was used for missions to Shetland, as well as Orkney and mainland Scotland.
Per Ola Holm, current skipper of MK Andholmen, said: “Ordinary Norwegians were trained as special forces soldiers in both England and Scotland.
“Many went on to crew the Shetland Bus vessels as they dodged German submarines and war planes during their dangerous missions, or they returned home on sabotage missions and to fight the occupying Nazi regime.
“Everyone who crewed those small boats and ships taking the route knew they were risking their lives, but the fragile link it provided between the Shetland Islands, the Orkneys and occupied Norway was just too important.”
Captain Jack Cowie of the Gordon Highlanders was the liaison officer for Norwegian fishing boats which were in transit to and from Shetland through Aberdeen.
His daughter Isabell Jack said: “Obviously it was a secret operation so not much was said to us as children.
“But dad was well liked and had a nice manner about him, with a warm sense of humour and integrity, and I think this helped him in this role.
“Dad was proud of what he did, but he wasn’t a man to make a fuss, and after the war ended he returned to his job working for the bank until he retired.”
The merchant ship D/S Hestmanden will also be taking part in the convoy.
During the war it served as part of the Norwegian merchant fleet, which operated from the UK and helped secure supplies of medicine, food and fuel, as well as ammunition and weapons, to aid resistance by the Allies.
Norwegian historian Ragnhild Bie, whose two grandfathers were both sailors during the war, said: “The UK generously welcomed our royal family and government in exile after the Nazis invaded, and throughout the war some 30,000 Norwegian war sailors served the Allied resistance alongside Britain’s own mariners.
“Some 4,500 war sailors lost their lives and countless others endured psychological and physical traumas that affected them and their families long after the war had ended.”
The convoy will arrive in Lerwick on May 6 and vessels will be open to the public from May 7.
Later in the month the convoy will travel on to ports in Orkney, mainland Scotland and England.
Lord Lieutenant of Shetland Lindsay Tullock said: “As we commemorate and give thanks to those who were lost, we remember also the resilience of the men and women involved in the liberation of Norway and Europe.
“The arrival of the Liberation Convoy in Shetland will be an opportunity to acknowledge the long-standing alliance between the people of Shetland, the rest of the United Kingdom and Norway.
“People of Shetland have vivid memories and recollections of the covert Shetland Bus operations during the Second World War.
“The enduring relationship between Shetland and Norway has strengthened over the years and will continue to do so as we join together in remembrance on the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe.”
The convoy has been organised by a group of individual volunteers, maritime enthusiasts, wartime historians, museums and organisations.
It is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, the Norwegian Navy, the Norwegian-British Chamber of Commerce and several charitable foundations and companies.
