Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1938, Blaðsíða 397

CHRONIQUE TRIMESTRIELLE
387
The ships met at 6 o’clock in the
morning of the 26th, off Færder,
and slowly steamed up the Oslo
fjord; first two British destroyers,
then the “Royal Oak”, then “Olav
Tryggvason” and two Norwegian
destroyers and then two British
destroyers. The day was dark,
dreary and rainy. At 8,40 the
squadron was off Horten and was
given the salute — 21 guns — from
Karl Johansvern. Thousands of
mourning men, women and children
lined the shores of the fjord, hun-
dreds of small boats greeted the
squadron, people rising and baring
their heads when the “Royal Oak”
passed. When the ships hove in
sight the bell in the churches along
the coast started clanging. At 10,40
the squadron passed Oscarsborg and
was greeted with 21 guns.
At 11 the bier was placed on
deck and there was a short service
by bishop Berggrav. At 12,45 the
“Royal Oak” dropped anchor un-
der Akershus, the old royal castle,
where torches were flaming. On
deck, by the bier, were King Haa-
kon, Crown-prince Olav and bishop
Berggrav. At 1,15 the Crown-prin-
cess with her mother, Princess Inge-
borg of Sweden, and her daughters,
Princess Ragnhild and Princess
Astrid, went on-board the “Royal
Oak”. At 2,40 the coffin was lifted
on the shoulders of eight officers
and moved over to the boat carry-
ing it to the landing-place. The
Royal Family followed in another
boat.
King Haakon had wanted the
whole ceremony to be as simple as
possible; but in spite of the heavy
weather tens of thousands of
mourning men and women had been
waiting for hours to honour their
queen. The Royal Guard was parad-
ing; on the quay were the President
and vice-president of the Storting,
all the members of the cabinet, the
ladies of the Queen’s house-hold,
the officers of the King’s staff, the
gentlemen of the Court with high
military and civil authorities, the
mayor of Oslo and personal friends
of the Royal Family.
Queen Maud died on the day of
her mother’s, the late Queen Alex-
andra’s death; she came to Norway
for the last time on her 69th birth-
day — 33 years exactly after the
day when she first landed in Oslo
as Queen of Norway. Two of the
men on board the escorting “Olav
Tryggvason” had served on board
the “Heimdal” that brought the
young Queen Maud to Norway.
As the boat with the Queen’s bier
is pulled up by the landing-stage,
Liberty Bell starts chiming from
Akershus. Eight British mariners
carry the bier on shore. When the
first mariner sets foot on shore the
military bands intone the national
anthem, “Ja, vi elsker”, the troops
present arms; the first gun is fired
from Akershus; after 20 seconds it
is answered from “Olav Tryggva-
son”, then after 40 seconds from
the “Royal Oak” — 21 guns greet-
ing the Queen for the last time.
28
Le Nord I. 4.