Tryggve Gran | |
---|---|
Born | [2] Bergen, Norway | 20 January 1888
Died | 8 January 1980 Grimstad, Norway | (aged 91)
Resting place | Fjære Church, Grimstad, Norway |
Monuments | Memorial plaque at Cruden Bay, Scotland |
Known for | Aviator, Polar explorer and author |
Spouse(s) |
Lilian Clara Johnson
(m. 1918–1921)Ingeborg Meinich (m. 1923)Margaret Schønheyder
(m. 1941–1980) |
Awards | Military Cross |
Aviation career | |
Full name | Jens Tryggve Herman Gran |
First flight | Bleriot XI |
Famous flights | First heavier-than-air flight across the North Sea (Scotland to Norway, 30 July 1914) |
Flight license | 2 August 1917[1] |
Air force | Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force |
Battles | Defence of London (1917) Western Front (1917) North Russia Campaign (1918) |
Rank | Acting Major (Acting Squadron Leader) |
Jens Tryggve Herman Gran MC (20 January 1888 – 8 January 1980) was a Norwegian aviator, polar explorer and author.[3]
He was the skiing expert on the 1910–13 Scott Antarctic Expedition and was the first person to fly across the North Sea from Scotland to Norway in a heavier-than-air aircraft in August 1914. During WW1 he joined the Royal Flying Corps and flew night bombing raids on the Western Front, for which he was awarded the Military Cross. He co-piloted the first flight from London via Oslo to Stockholm in 1920.
During WWII he aligned himself with Vidkun Quisling's ruling party, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in 1948.