A 92-year-old man has been awarded a Norwegian Medal of Honour for the role he played in liberating the country 72 years ago.
Kenneth Foster, from Trowbridge, Wiltshire, served as a telegrapher on HMS Viceroy during World War Two.
It was responsible for sinking two U-boats and played a key role in freeing Norwegian towns from the Germans.
Mr Foster said the honour was “out of the blue” and “after all these years, you don’t expect it”.
The Honorary Consul Nigel Fletcher presented the medal on behalf of the Norwegian embassy at a ceremony at Trowbridge Town Hall.
Mr Foster, who is a member of the White Ensign Association, said: “It’s a big day for me. The whole thing was out of the blue and, after all these years, you don’t expect it.
“To start with I was fearful of the sea because I wasn’t a very good sailor.
“You had to get used to it — a ship which, we used to say, would roll on wet grass it was so unstable.
“But there was no point in being frightened of anything else because this was what you’d volunteered for.”
His role was to transport Norwegians, who had been exiled in the UK for over four years, back to Stavanger as the war was ending.
“I think I was the youngest on board and here we are, I’m approaching 92 so there’s not much chance of the others being with us.
“I know that all the others I kept in contact with have gone, sadly, but when I receive that medal I’ll be thinking that this is on behalf of them as well.”
(BBC)
