The St. Olav's Medal and the St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch were instituted by King

Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII (; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was King of Norway from 18 November 1905 until his death in 1957. The future Haakon VII was born in Copenhagen as Prince Carl of Denmark. He was the second son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess ...

on 17 March 1939. They are awarded in recognition of "outstanding services rendered in connection with the spreading of information about Norway abroad and for strengthening the bonds between expatriate Norwegians and their home country". The medals are in silver, surmounted by the Royal Crown. On the obverse is the portrait of the reigning King with his name and motto. On the reverse, St. Olav's cross. Above the medal is the monogram of the reigning King. It is worn on the left side of the breast with the ribbon of the Order of St. Olav. The medal ranks 9th in the order of precedence of Norwegian medals. When awarded for services rendered in wartime, the medal carries an oak branch and ranks 6th in the order of precedence of Norwegian medals.

Recipients of the medal

A complete searchable list of medal recipients can be foun
here
* 1939 Henry Poynter Burnett, Commander (late Rear Admiral), USN * 1939 Brenda Ueland, author and teacher, Minneapolis, Minnesota * c1942 Captain Andrew Henry, O.B.E. ref. Shetland Family History www.bayanne.info/Shetland Person I.D. I53644 * 1944 Egil Melsom, Assistant Engineer on the M/T Gallia * 1951 Rev. Bent Emil Carlsen, known as "Pastor", of Milton, Massachusetts; in recognition of his work among Norwegians in America. * 1954

Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who moved to the United States in 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long and ...

, Australian composer and pianist * 1964 Marianne Schigutt, Austrian diplomat * 1969

Josef Knap Josef Knap (28 July 1900 – 13 December 1973) was a Czechs, Czech writer, poet and literary critic. Born in Podůlší near Jičín, Knap studied at the Classical Grammar school until 1919. He graduated from the College of Philosophy at Charles ...

, Czechoslovak poet * 1976 Helen Svensson Fletre, Swedish born Norwegian-American journalist; In 1976, King Olav bestowed the St. Olav's medal on her - for her sesquicentennial work and for her many years of service to Norway. Wife of Norwegian Artist

Lars Fletre Lars Fletre (June 22, 1904 – September 9, 1977) was a prominent Norwegian-American designer and sculptor. Biography Lars Olavson Fletre was born in Vossestrand, Voss, Hordaland, Norway. He was the youngest of seven children born to Ola Odd ...

* 1989 Roald (Roy) Fridtjof Larsen, Røyken, Oppland, Norway. After Norwegian Navy service, raised Norge awareness and settled with his family in Bilgola, Australia. * 1993 Margaret Miller, genealogist, Apple Valley, Minnesota * 1994

Bradley Ellingboe Bradley Ellingboe (born April 16, 1958) is an American composer, conductor, and bass-baritone singer. Biography Born in Lakeville, Minnesota, Ellingboe is a 1980 graduate of Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he received a degre ...

, editor and translator, Albuquerque, New Mexico * 1994 Kristin Brudevoll, former Director of Norla. * 1995 Lyuba Gorlina, Russian translator * 2002 Andrea Een, Hardanger fiddler, Northfield, Minnesota * 2005

Stan Boreson Stan Boreson (May 5, 1925 – January 27, 2017), the "King of Scandinavian Humor," was a Norwegian-American comedian, accordionist and singer from Everett, Washington. Boreson was an early local TV star in the Seattle area, with a career that includ ...

, entertainer,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

* 2008 Trygve Gunnar Morkemo *2010 Dean Madden for his contributions to the Vesterheim Museum * 2014 Ewart Parkinson,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, town planner,

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, for his role in saving and rebuilding the

Norwegian Church Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...

Cardiff Bay Cardiff Bay (; colloquially "The Bay") is an area and freshwater lake in Cardiff, Wales. The site of a former tidal bay and estuary, it is the river mouth of the River Taff and River Ely, Ely. The body of water was converted into a lake as part ...

* 2017 Glo Wollen, Petersburg, Alaska * 2022 Nina Malterud, Norwegian ceramist

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Norwegian royal house web page
* http://medals.org.uk/norway/norway007.htm Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway

Recipients of the medal

See also

References

External links