Helgi Hallvarðsson (12 June 1931 – 15 March 2008) was an Icelandic commander in the Icelandic Coast Guard. During his 55-year service with the Coast Guard, he took part in all three Anglo-Icelandic Cod Wars[1][2] where he was nicknamed "Mad Helgi",[3] "The Maddest Axeman" and "Napoleon of the North" by the British due to his aggressive tactics.[4][5][6]
Helgi Hallvarðsson | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Maddest Axeman |
| Born | 12 June 1931 Reykjavík, Kingdom of Iceland |
| Died | 15 March 2008 (aged 76) Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Branch |  Icelandic Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1954–1999 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands | |
| Conflicts | |
Life
editHelgi was born in Reykjavík to Guðfinna Lýðsdóttir and Hallvarður Rósinkarsson, both from Skógarströnd.[7]
Honours
edit
Norway: Knight of the Order of St. Olav (1974)
Iceland: Knight of the Order of the Falcon (1976)
References
edit- ^ "Andlát: Helgi Hallvarðsson". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 March 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ Birna Helgadóttir (27 March 1992). "Fishermen enlist Iceland's famous net-cutter". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 18. Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gunboat Thor crashes into frigate". Aberdeen Evening Express. 9 January 1976. pp. 1, 9. Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Guðmundur G. Þórarinsson (23 November 1992). "The Maddest Axeman". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 17. Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ Gordon Hughes (12 January 1976). "My Napoleon of the North". Daily Mirror. p. 5. Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Atli Magnússon (10 December 1992). "Sjentilmenn og óróamenn". Alþýðublaðið (in Icelandic). p. 5. Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
- ^ "Stríðshetja í helgan stein". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 3 January 1999. pp. 12B–13B. Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via Tímarit.is.
