Margit Johnsen
Margit Johnsen Godø , also known as Malta-Margit (born January 31, 1913 , † July 20, 1987 ) was a Norwegian seawoman on Norwegian merchant ships. For her work during the Second World War she was awarded the St. Olav Medal , among other things . She is the only woman to have received this oak leaf award. Their use is often cited as an example of women's contribution during the war.
Life
Johnson drove as a service person on board Norwegian merchant ships of the shipping company Wilh. Wilhelmsen . At the time of Germany's attack on Norway on April 9, 1940 , she was working on board the MV Tudor sailing in the Mediterranean . On June 12, 1940, the ship left Gibraltar in a convoy with other ships for the United Kingdom . During June 19, 1940, the MV Tudor was attacked and sunk northwest of Cape Finisterre by the German submarine U 48 . Johnson and the rest of the crew survived the sinking of the ship except for one person.
Johnson went on merchant ships again afterwards. In 1942 she served on the cargo ship MV Talabot . In Alexandria it received the order to join a convoy planned to Malta with the code name MW10. The then British Malta was besieged at that time . The Malta convoys intended to supply Malta each suffered considerable losses and were referred to as suicide missions . The Talabot's captain , Albert Toft , offered Johnsen to leave the ship in Egypt before departure . However, she refused. The four cargo ships loaded with ammunition, gasoline, coal and grain, among other things, were accompanied by 20 British warships. The convoy left Alexandria on March 20, 1942. On March 22, 1942 it came to the convoy for the second naval battle in the Gulf of Syrte . Two of the cargo ships, including the Talabot , reached Malta. In the port of Valletta , the Talabot was hit in an air raid while unloading. It was then sunk by its own crew to prevent the loaded ammunition from exploding.
Both during the passage and in port, Johnsen performed her service with courage and bravery. Captain Toft stated that their behavior was important in maintaining the crew's morale during the threatening situation. Together with the captain and the ship's cat , she was the last to leave the ship on March 27, 1942 in Valletta.
Johnson was then sent back to the UK and stayed in Liverpool for some time . She continued to work on Norwegian merchant ships, the MV Tarifa , MV Tai Yin , MV Toulouse and ultimately on the MT Fagerfjell , with which she returned to Norway in December 1945.
Johnsen was still active on merchant ships until around 1960. She married and had the surname Godø ever since .
Honors
She was awarded the St. Olav Medal with Oak Leaves. She was awarded the Norwegian War Medal for her use on merchant ships in war zones . She also received the British Empire Medal for her work on board the Talabot .
In 2013, the Margit Johnsen memorial was erected in her honor at the harbor in her home town of Ålesund .
Web links
- Entry Margit Johnsen on www.krigsseilerregisteret.no (Norwegian)
- Terje Reite, Bestemor er Norges høyest decorated kvinnelige krigsdeltaker published online on www.nrk.no on May 8, 2013 (Norwegian)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnsen, Margit |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnsen Godø, Margit (full name); Malta-Margit´ |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Norwegian seawoman on Norwegian merchant ships |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 31, 1913 |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 20, 1987 |