War veteran Wilf Oldham receives honorary medal for services to Norwegian government

Mr Wilfred Edwards Oldham, 96, from Radcliffe, was awarded the Norwegian government’s Commemorative Medal at a small service at The Barrack’s Coffee House in Bury last week.

Mr Oldham served in Norway from May to August 1945 and participated in their liberation in 1945.

Norway’s Consul in Manchester, Mrs Alexandra Stewart, presented the medal on behalf of Colonel John Andreas Olsen, the Norwegian Defence Attaché to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Mr Oldham and his comrades were based in southern Norway around Oslo and Bergen, rounding up the Germans and raiding the concentration camps to clear the area of occupational troops.

Having been in the army for six years, Wilf returned to the textile industry and worked in the paper mills of Radcliffe and Bury.

The medal was presented to Mr Oldham where he was joined by his very proud daughters Willow and Sue.

Mrs Alexandra Stewart, said: “It was an honour and a pleasure for the consul to present the medal to Mr Oldham. Wilf is a character and has an anecdote for every occasion.

"He was humbled to accept the medal and gave his heartfelt thanks and accepted it also on behalf of his comrades who are no longer here to receive their own medal,” she added.

Mr Oldham, who has lived in Radcliffe all of his life, when not serving his country, said: "I am very proud to have received the medallion from the Norwegian government and would like to thank them very much.

"It was a great pleasure to have my two daughters with me at the presentation, and i don't consider the medallion to be an award to myself, but a family heirloom.

"Every time I look at it I will always remember my comrades in Norway, and never forget them," he added.

Mr Oldham's daughter, Willow said: "I'm so proud of my dad, he's such a humble, self-sacrificing man and we are very lucky and blessed to have him around still at his age. It was an honour to be there at the presentation."