Boy Roald Rist (1 January 1912 – 16 November 1972) was a member of the
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:
*Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...
during the
German occupation of Norway
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...
in World War II. He was an naval officer, and a member
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...
a part of
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...
(SOE). He was awarded the
War Cross with sword, Norway's highest award.
Background
Rist hailed from
Vestvågøy
Vestvågøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Leknes. Some of the villages in the municipality include Ballstad, Borg, B ...
in the
Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær ...
Islands. After primary school, he completed (in 1929) the seaman's course on ''
Statsraad Lehmkuhl
''Statsraad Lehmkuhl'' is a three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in Bergen, Norway and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a school ship for the ...
'' and started serving on vessels in international trade. In 1935 he took the exams for the coastal skipper certificate, and from 1936 to 1939 he worked as a fishmonger and a farmer.
From October 1939 Rist served on , which had been mobilised to safeguard Norwegian neutrality.
Second World War
When the Germans
attacked Norway on 9 April 1940, Rist was still in service on ''Heimdal''. He took part in
the fighting in northern Norway.
Left Tromsø 6 June, escape to England via Shetland - Scotland, Rosyth Naval Station, Edinburgh before he came over to the UK. During World War II served Rist in the Navy, where he sailed in
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
and served on
Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
and
Motor Torpedo Boat (MTB).
[Roger Albrigtsen: Sepals. Hemmelige baser på svensk jord 1944-1945, Harstad: Forlaget Kristiansen, 2008, s. 113.]
In June 1940 Rist underwent a Gunner course in Helenslee. Then he was a gunner on the merchant ship SS ''Marita'', which went in
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
traffic between
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. 3 trips UK - Canada - UK, convoy escort each end out to 300nmil of the coast, then unprotected except his own gun. The convoys had 50% loss on these trips. In December 1940, Rist went with SS ''Marita'' to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
Attacked by German raider off the Canary Islands.
Mutiny on board, and the steam engine lost power. Got the help of British
Merchant raider
Merchant raiders are armed commerce raiding ships that disguise themselves as non-combatant merchant vessels.
History
Germany used several merchant raiders early in World War I (1914–1918), and again early in World War II (1939–1945). The cap ...
. "Clear ship" was declared mutiny hit down. Went alone round trip to England. On the return trip to England he became ill with
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
and was hospitalized in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. This was during the time London was very heavily bombed in the battle of Britain.
After he recovered, he was ordered to serve on the corvette , which was transferred to the
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...
and was outfitted in
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
before the ship was put into escort service in the
Atlantic convoys
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
.
In 1942 Rist also took courses and received training as a
commando
Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured
A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...
. In May 1943 he moved to MTB Flotilla in
Shetland
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
. Rist was on four trips to occupied Norway, before he later in 1943 was back again in service on ''Eglantine''. From February 1944 Rist was in preparation for
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
, and in June 1944 he participated in the
Normandy landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
.
Under the alias "Otto Borgen" Rist was in December 1944 appointed Secretary at the
Norwegian legation in Stockholm
The Norwegian Legation in Stockholm played a significant role during the Second World War. Until 9 April 1940 the legation consisted of four persons, and at the end of the war about 1,100 persons were connected to the legation. Refugee cases were ...
. From Sweden Rist participated in the Polar Bear expeditions, a series of operations aimed to secure Norwegian ports during an invasion or German withdrawal. Early in 1945 Rist served as Head of
Polar Bear 1
Polar may refer to:
Geography
Polar may refer to:
* Geographical pole, either of two fixed points on the surface of a rotating body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body rotates
* Polar climate, the c ...
, where the goal was to protect the port of
Narvik
( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
.
The Unit operated from a
Sepalis base in Sweden.
During a mission across the border to Norway Rist and other participants were discovered by a German patrol on 13 April 1945 and engaged in a fire-fight. The fight went in Norwegians favour and three Germans were killed. After the fire-fight Rist and his companion made their way back across the border to Sweden.
On the basis of this effort Rist was on 20 September 1946 awarded the War Cross "for outstanding efforts during the execution of special mission."
Postwar
Rist was working for the establishment of naval force of the
Home Guard (Norway)
The Norwegian Home Guard ( no, Heimevernet – "HV") is the rapid mobilisation force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main ta ...
. In 1951 Rist led the nation's first Naval Home Guard courses in Reine, Lofoten.
[Fra Nord-Hålogaland HV-distrikt 15's historie" publisert 1996, redaktører Petter Agersborg, Bjarne Johnsen, Harald Storkenes, og Roy Fjellgaard] He was since then often called the Naval Home Guard father. He was head of the Naval Coast Guard in northern Norway.
In March August 1966 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander for special service in the Navy and in March the following year came the appointment to lieutenant commander. On 19 December 1969 was Rist promoted to
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
.
Honours and awards
In addition to the *
War Cross with sword
The War Cross with Sword (Norwegian Bokmål: ''Krigskorset med sverd, ''Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Krigskrossen med sverd'') is the highest ranking Norwegian gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadershi ...
– received Rist several other Norwegian and British awards.
Rist was awarded the
Norwegian War Medal
__NOTOC__
The War Medal ( no, Krigsmedaljen) is a Norwegian war decoration for service during Second World War, and later for meritous service during war.
Criteria
The Norwegian War Medal was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway by Royal Decre ...
, the
Medal for Heroic Deeds
The Medal for Heroic Deeds was instituted in Norway by royal resolution on 19 August 1885 and is awarded for honorable actions in saving lives or a comparable act. There were originally three classes, but from 1905 in Norway#Overview, 1905 the meda ...
in silver, the
Defence Medal 1940–1945
The Defence Medal 1940–1945 () is the award rewarded to those military and civilian personnel who participated in the fight against the German invasion and occupation of Norway between 1940 and 1945.
The Defence Medal 1940–1945 can be awarde ...
with Rosette, and the
Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal
Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 27 October 1942. It was awarded in recognition of military personnel who served in the Norwegian armed forces in Britain on the ...
from Norway as well as the
1939-1945 Star
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the
Atlantic Star
The Atlantic Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British Commonwealth forces who took part in the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War.
Two cla ...
with clasp, and the
Defence Medal from Britain. He was also "Mentioned in Dispatches for bravery" by
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
in conjunction with effort on D-Day and the liberation of Europe.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rist, Boy
1912 births
1972 deaths
Norwegian sailors
Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II
Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel
Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway)
People from Vestvågøy