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Dog of war statue to be unveiled War dog statue unveiling ceremony
(about 9 hours later)
A statue of a hero dog that became mascot to the Free Norwegian Forces during World War II is to be unveiled. A statue of a hero dog that became mascot to the Free Norwegian Forces during World War II has been unveiled.
Bamse the St Bernard, who has already been honoured with the animal equivalent of the George Cross, is to be remembered in Montrose. British and Norwegian naval officers have gathered in the coastal Angus town of Montrose to immortalise the story of Bamse the St Bernard.
Montrose Heritage Trust is raising £50,000 to promote the story of Bamse, who came to Scotland in 1940 as a crew member of a Norwegian minesweeper. The dog, who died more than 60 years ago, has already been honoured with the animal equivalent of the George Cross.
The statue is to be unveiled in the Angus town by Prince Andrew. The £50,000 bronze memorial was unveiled by Prince Andrew in front of hundreds of spectators.
Bamse was stationed at Montrose and Dundee, but he soon became a mascot for the whole of the Free Norwegian Forces. Bamse, a crew member on board the Norwegian minesweeper Thorudd, became a hero when the vessel was stationed in Montrose and Dundee during the war.
It is understood that, during his service, Bamse was not only a great boost to morale but saved at least two lives. His legendary exploits included saving a young lieutenant who was set upon by a knifeman and rescuing a sailor who fell overboard.
He died in 1944 and was buried in Montrose at a funeral attended by the crews of six ships and hundreds of local schoolchildren. Commodore Charles Stevenson, the Royal Navy's regional officer for Scotland, was joined by a delegation of naval officers from Norway at the event.
The unveiling ceremony is to be attended by visitors from Norway, including the daughter of Bamse's original owner. Pupils from the town's schools waved Norwegian and Scottish flags to the skirl of music from pipe bands during the colourful ceremony.
Bamse became a morale-boosting mascot during the war
Bamse, which means cuddly bear, was much loved by the sailors and locals in Montrose, where he was buried in 1944.
The statue was created by Scottish sculptor Allan Herriot with cash raised by the Montrose Bamse Project, an organisation founded to promote the story of the life-saving dog.
Henny King, director of the project, said: "It was a colourful and emotional ceremony to celebrate the life of a legendary dog who remains very much in the hearts of the people of Montrose."