THE LEGEND of Bamse the St Bernard will bring together Scots, Norwegians and their respective royal families at a ceremony in Montrose.

The Duke of York will be welcomed to Wharf Street by hundreds of children, including Lathallan School pipe band, for the unveiling of a statue of Bamse, the dog who became a mascot for Norwegians during the second world war.

Also present will be representatives of the royal Norwegian and British navies, dignitaries, war veterans and many visitors from Norway.

The Montrose Bamse Project, under the auspices of Montrose Heritage Trust, has been raising £50,000 for the statue and to promote the story of Bamse. Much of this has come from Norway.

The statue, created by sculptor Allan Herriot and cast at Leith, will be draped in the Saltire and the Norwegian flag.

Bamse, pronounced Bum-sa, came to Scotland in 1940 with his owner Captain Erling Hafto as a crew member of the Norwegian minesweeper Thorodd, stationed at Montrose and Dundee.

Fearless in action, he became essential to morale, graduating from ship’s mascot to mascot for all the free Norwegian forces. He guided drunken crew members back on board, broke up fights, helped with sentry duty and saved at least two lives.

He died in 1944 and was buried at Montrose, with a funeral attended by the crews of six ships and local children. His grave on the north bank of the estuary continues to be tended by the people of Montrose and the Norwegian navy has sent a ship to Montrose every 10 years to honour his memory.

In July the PDSA awarded him a posthumous Gold Medal for gallantry and devotion to duty.

Among the Norwegian visitors will be Vigdis Hafto, daughter of Bamse’s owner; Dr Willie Nilsen, whose father’s life was saved by the dog; and Reidar Pedersen, a veteran who witnessed a life-saving. A message from King Harald V of Norway will be delivered by Bjorn Eilertsen, royal Norwegian consul in Edinburgh.

After the ceremony the duke will visit the Glaxo-SmithKline factory.

The public are invited to attend the ceremony at 11.30am on Tuesday but are advised that Wharf Street will be closed to traffic.