Speech delivered  by HRH The Princess Royal at the Vemork Museum on 21 May:

“Can I begin by thanking the Museum Director and her staff for making us so welcome. I am very pleased to be the Patron of this Project. In her speech the Director of the museum referred to the fact that I and to be able to visit this museum. Visiting the site of Operation GUNNERSIDE and seeing the Cellar has a particular significance for me personally, as over the years I was fortunate enough to meet Jochim Ronneberg, as well as colleagues in the Linge Company, on a number of occasions. They were very special people, and having some of their relatives present with us today makes the occasion today even more memorable.

I know, from having spoken to Joachim and others, just how important Op GUNNERSIDE was in disrupting the supply of heavy water to the Germans and helping to prevent Germany from acquiring atomic weapons. But success came at a cost, and we remember the tragic loss of life of both commandos and air crew involved in Op FRESHMAN, the first attempt to sabotage the plant which sadly failed. We remember also those who died later on the Hydro ferry. The building we are standing in today and the displays in the main museum are a wonderful tribute to those brave men and those who helped them who risked everything. I congratulate everyone who contributed to their refurbishment. But there is always more that can be done to remind future generations just how remarkable to wartime relationship between our two countries was, and the very special people involved. So today, I am announcing on behalf of the Anglo-Norwegian Resistance Commemoration Project of which I am Patron, the launch of a competition to select a Norwegian sculptor to create a statue which will commemorate the bravery of those Norwegians and British who risked their lives in the campaign to restore freedom in Norway.”

The statue will in due course be presented by the Project as a gift to the city of Oslo and will take its place alongside the other memorials to the wartime Resistance. In a concluding comment the Princess Royal added that she hoped to be able to return to Norway in due course to see the finished statue.