Product Description

This is the remarkable story of one of the Second World War's most unusual animal heroes - a 14-stone St. Bernard dog who became global mascot for the Royal Norwegian Forces and a symbol of freedom and inspiration for Allied troops throughout Europe. From a happy and carefree puppyhood spent as a family pet in the Norwegian fishing town of Honningsvag, the gentle giant Bamse followed his master at the outbreak of the war to become a registered crew member of the mine-sweeper Thorodd.Often donning his own steel helmet as he took his place in the Torodd's bow gun turret, Bamse cut an impressive figure and made a huge contribution to the morale of the crew, and he gallantly saved the lives of two of them. After Norway fell to the Germans in 1940, the Thorodd operated from Dundee and Montrose, where Bamse became a well-known and much-loved figure, shepherding the Thorodd's crew-members back to the boat at pub closing time, travelling on the local buses, breaking up fights and even taking part in football matches. Mourned both by locals and Norwegians when he died in 1944, Bamse's memory has been kept alive both in Norway, where he is still regarded as a national hero, and in Montrose, where a larger-than-life statue of him was unveiled in 2006 by HRH Prince Andrew. Written from extensive source material and eyewitness accounts, "Sea Dog Bamse" is a fitting tribute to the extraordinary life of an extraordinary dog.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15085 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-14
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

Review
'one of the most charming, enterprising, and charismatic characters in the story of World War II' - Jilly Cooper

About the Author
Angus Whitson studied law at Edinburgh University, and has worked as a solicitor, independent financial adviser and freelance copywriter. He writes the weekly column in the Dundee Courier, 'Man With two Dogs'. Andrew Orr worked as a GP in Montrose for many years. He is a founder member of the Montrose Heritage Trust and chairman of the Montrose Bamse Project.

Customer Reviews

Sea Dog Bamse: a good read
Bamse is a book for all ages and of some importance too, since so many accounts of WWII are lost and not passed down to future generations. It reads smoothly and is full of little nuggets of information, some of which were new to me. Although sea dog Bamse is the main character within the book, it's fascinating to read about the developing relationship between the people of Norway and Scotland, both during and after the war. The compact size of the book makes it a neat travel companion and the photos, particularly the before and after of the razing of Honningsvag, were a plus.

Not just the story of a dog
This is a fascinating account of how the lives of the people of Montrose and the crew of a Norwegian minesweeper became intertwined due to a large dog called Bamse. It is an interesting, moving but also entertaining social history of how the war affected one small town on the east coast of Scotland. It also gives plenty of food for thought. Imagine how you would have felt had you been one of the sailors on that ship, or a member of the families they left behind in 1940, not knowing until the end of the war whether their loved ones were dead or alive.

Bamse a truly wonderful dog
This is a great book for all ages to read. I loved the passage when Bamse took himself to the bus stop the sailors used to get the bus into town. He stood by himself at the stop. The bus driver used to stop and let him on as he was well known locally. Bamse always went upstairs because he know dogs were not allowed inside. The bus authorities got wind of his free runs on the bus and put a stop to it. The sailors then clubbed together and bought him a bus pass which was hung around his neck for future trips. He still went unaccompanied into town to his usual haunts. A MUST TO READ FOR EVERYONE WHO LOVES DOGS.