Helge W. Fonneland

Helge W. Fonneland was born in Drammen, Norway, in 1921, as son of Lalla Wahl and Martin Fonneland. From 1932 the family lived in Kvam, Hardanger county, where his father Martin were born. Like so many young men from the coast, Helge enlisted on a boat, his choice were the "M/S Salta". This was early in 1940, later that year in June, "M/S Salta" were in Dakar, West Africa, and was detained when France capitulated. Fonneland and several others managed to escape, and after four days of rowing they came to Banjul, and later to Freetown. There he was hired as a crew on the Norwegian boat "Lidvard", which also had broken the internment in Dakar, see: Flukten fra Dakar (1951). Fonneland experienced a lot of drama along the way, via North America, he came aboard the "Pan Norway", which was set on fire by a German submarine. The crew was picked up by a Greek boat, and landed in neutral Portugal. After another dramatic trip, he came to England in 1942, where he joined the Norwegian navy, and became part of the Shetland gang. From 1943 on the "MTB Vigra" with the famous Leif Larsen as captain. Fonneland played himself in the film about this dangerous traffic across the North sea: Suicide Mission (1954). After the war, Fonneland's health was reduced, much on the basis of his war experiences. He died in the early age of 54 in 1976.