Centenarian war veteran’s role in liberating Norway recognised
A CENTENARIAN Second World War veteran in Guernsey has been recognised on behalf of the King of Norway for his role in the liberation of the country.
Douglas Coxell is Guernsey’s oldest surviving Second World War veteran. Yesterday morning at Summerland Nursing Home, he was given a Norwegian Medal of Honour by the defence attache to the Norwegian embassy.
‘I’m highly honoured and very happy about this occasion,’ said Mr Coxell.
Norway has chosen to honour Mr Coxell now because his role in the liberation of Norway has only recently been uncovered by a young Norwegian with an interest in history.
‘It’s because young people are interested in digging into history that we have realised his contribution,’ said Norwegian attache Captain Pal Hope.
‘People like Douglas were willing to sacrifice their life so we can live in a peaceful world. There are nations today with no democracy, and Mr Coxell’s generation is a good example for those coming generations to live by. Thanks to people from your generation, we can all enjoy the freedoms and democracy we have today.’
On 9 May 1945, a 23-year-old Mr Coxell was at the controls of the first Halifax bomber, a day after Nazi Germany collapsed.
He was hand-picked to take 18 heavily armed soldiers from the 1st Airborne Division to the Gardermoen airport in Oslo to reclaim the airport from the Germans.
Mr Coxell’s wife, Jan, said the family was incredibly proud of his achievements.
‘I’m very proud of him, and I always have been proud,’ she said.
Mr Coxell’s operations in Norway were not his only wartime accomplishments.
At 22, he flew over enemy lines at the start of the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, flying his Halifax aircraft and dropping parachutists so they could locate and mark drop zones for air landing operations.
He was awarded the Legion d’Honneur for his heroism at the Normandy landings, and he went on to fly a number of dangerous and strategically-important RAF missions.
He fell in love with the islands when he moved to Alderney in 1976 to work for Aurigny, and he later worked for the airline in Guernsey.
After working for Aurigny as a senior pilot he was an Air Search pilot trainer into his 80s.
‘It’s just brilliant that his achievement are being recognised,’ said friend and former colleague Chris Unitt.
‘I’ve known him since 1969. He was my boss while working for Aurigny, and he’s the best chief I’ve ever worked for. He’s a good pilot and a superb man.’
