Margit Johnsen

Some of the crew from the Norwegian merchant ship MV Talabot. The messroom girl Margit Johnsen from Ålesund in centre, receiving British Empire Medal from Rear Admiral J.S.M. Ritchie. Margit Johnsen Godø, , nicknamed Malta-Margit, (31 January 1913 – 20 July 1987) was a Norwegian sailor in the merchant navy. For her service on a merchant vessel in convoy to Malta in 1942 she was awarded the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch and several other gallantry decorations. Johnsen continued her work in the Norwegian merchant fleet until 1960. Her story is told in maritime and wartime history as an example of Norwegian women's effort during World War II.

Torpedoed in June 1940 Johnsen worked for the Norwegian shipping company Wilh. Wilhelmsen as a messroom girl. She worked on board MV Tudor, which was in the Mediterranean Sea when Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. The ship left Gibraltar on 12 June and sailed in convoy for United Kingdom. On 19 June 1940 MV Tudor was torpedoed and sunk northwest of Cape Finisterre by the German submarine . Due to great losses the Malta convoys were known as the death convoys. The convoy that Margit Johnsen's vessel was about to join, with the codename MW10, was known as a suicide mission.

The convoy departed Alexandria on 20 March 1942 and was attacked two days later by Italian warships and Italian and German aircraft.

After the sinking Johnsen was sent from Malta to the United Kingdom. She continued to work on Norwegian merchant ships and served on MV Tarifa, MV Tai Yin, MV Toulouse and finally the MT Fagerfjell, which she returned with to Norway in December 1945.

After the war Johnsen sailed on Norwegian merchant vessels until around 1960. She married and took the surname Godø.

Decorations

Johnsen received several decorations for her war effort. She is the only female recipient of the Norwegian military award St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch. For having served more than 18 months on merchant vessels in dangerous areas, Johnsen was awarded the War Medal. Her effort on MV Talabot was honoured by the British with the British Empire Medal "for without fear having served coffee and other refreshments to sailors on the bridge and by the guns during a severe air raid on the ship while it was heading for Malta."