Photo Credit: Norma Browne via https://aircrewremembered.com/surplice-wilfred.html
The Norwegian mountainside and landscape is an awe-inspiring sight that stirs up feelings of wonder and amazement. However, it also contains its mysteries, one of which is the story of a World War II pilot who lost his life in a plane crash at Skardfjell.
In November 1944, Group Captain Wilfred Surplice, a station commander of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Rivenhall set out to lead a supply drop of weapons and equipment for the Norwegian resistance. As station commander, he didn’t have to fly the mission. It is believed that he chose to lead by example on that particular mission to help boost morale after his crew had lost friends in a recent battle.
So, what happened on that freezing night? Poor visibility forced the other planes from his squadron to turn back. Surplice continued on, but ice began building up on his plane, and it started losing altitude. He ordered his six crew members to bail out into the snowstorm. Surplice stayed with the aircraft, which crashed at Skardfjell moments later. His leadership and sacrifice saved the lives of his six crew members.
Chris Bullock, a historian, has researched Rivenhall’s history for more than a decade, recently made the trek to the crash site to honor the fallen pilot. His guide was Espen Thronsen of Skien, whose grandfather helped bring four of the crew members home, as a member of the Norwegian resistance. Wreckage can still be seen on the hillside and one piece of the plane is displayed in a museum.
At the memorial, Bullock sprinkled soil from Rivenhall, recited the Ode of Remembrance, and led a minute of silence. Thronsen shared that many in the group were brought to tears.
Bullock also visited Surplice’s grave at the Commonwealth War Graves in Oslo, where he laid a cross and more Rivenhall soil.
“I think it’s important remembering the people who made these sacrifices,” Bullock said. This is definitely a story that deserves to be carried forward for generations to come, and the with the memorial on the mountainside, it will endure.