大象传媒

In June 1943 during the blitz, Hafner had been sheltering in the basement of Norway House on the corner of Cockspur Street and Trafalgar Square.

The 'All-Clear' had sounded and it was late afternoon when he came out of the shelter into a gloriously hot summer evening. As he began walking across the square his eye was caught by the sight of a very attractive, slim, dark haired woman just emerging from the subway. As she walked slowly across the square he realised with a sense of shock, that she was watching a metalic object falling from the sky.

He ran towards her shouting 'run, run' moments later, half dragging her with him, they sheltered together behind one of the lion's guarding Nelson's column. The metal debris falling out of the sky turned out to be nothing more than a Luftwaffe aircraft door; not the bomb he had been anticipating.

It seems to have been love at first sight for both of them.

Hafner Jul Mortensen, a Norwegian citizan, who with his youngest brother Gunner and all the men from the Norwegian mining community in the Spitzbregan Islands, had been evacuated by the British forces during the Nazi invasion of Norway. One man had volunteered to stay behind inorder to continue sending the required report's, with the intention of tricking the Nazi's into beleiving that all was well; allowing his colleagues time to escape.

Hafner had been in Britain for nearly two years, since September 1941, he was lonely and far from his home and close knit extended family in Bronnoysund, North Norway. Hafner had no idea when the war might end. He did not know whether he would ever see his own country again, nor even if he would surive the war; Hafner was captivated by the beautiful well spoken English woman.

Hafner insisted on escourting her home, thereby making himself late back (AWOL) which resulted in him being confined to barracks; so it was some weeks before they saw each other again.

After the war ended, Hafner returned to Norway and Elizabeth went with him. They married in Bergen and lived in Norway until 1950 when they came back to England.

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