The gala dinner, in the splendid glass landmark of the Rica Seilet Hotel built at the edge of the fjord, was just one example of the tidal wave of hospitality which engulfed the Glasgow men and often left them shaking their heads as their honoured status sat uncomfortably with their modesty.

“How did you feel when you knew you had the King of Norway on board?” asked a reporter with one of the Norwegian TV news crews during a tour of the town laid on by the local authorities.

“It was just a day’s work for us,” replied Bill Watts. “We were sent to do a job and we did it.”

“Actually, most of us didn’t even realise we had the King on board till we were well out to sea,” confided Stan Henty, who had travelled from Cheshire with his two sons and daughter.

All four, like the rest of the veterans and their families and friends, were accommodated for free at the Rica Seilet Hotel, which also hosted the dinner and a ceremony which saw the eight presented with the Norwegian Medal of Participation 1940-45.

The onslaught on Molde in April 1940 met with very little resistance – the only anti-aircraft guns were those on the legendary Norwegian destroyer Sleipner, which dodged about the fjord during air raids, blazing away at enemy planes until there was no more ammunition.

During a tour of the town the Glasgow party visited the Molde Stuene, which has a display set up in honour of the Sleipner; when she could be of no more help in Molde, the destroyer slipped across the North Sea and continued the fight against the Germans from Britain.

Another stopping place on the bus tour was the King’s Birch Memorial, the point from which the King and Crown Prince watched and waited.

That image, of an unbowed king and his son waiting patiently to continue the fight from elsewhere, was captured by a journalist in a photograph which went on to become a symbol of national pride and defiance, carrying the same talismanic weight as the London Blitz picture of St Paul’s Cathedral surrounded by smoke and destruction.

One of the fugitives who escaped from the ruins of Molde on the night of April 29 was the Prime Minister John Nygaardvold, who wrote at the time: “Finally we managed to get down to the quay and found the whole of the area in flames.

“The English cruiser Glasgow, a thumping big 11,000 tons, had put in action all its fire hoses and poured a pure Niagara Falls of water over the quays.”

It was fitting that one of the VIP guests at the medal ceremony and gala dinner should be Kjell Magne Bondevik, the current Prime Minister of Norway – and a man who appreciates the daring of the Glasgow action as much as anyone, as he grew up in Molde.

Speaking to Navy News, Mr Bondevik said: “When the King was standing in the forest, that image is well-known, because there was a photograph taken. That is famous.

“The story of HMS Glasgow is not as well-known to everybody in Norway – but I hope that these events have brought the story of Glasgow to more Norwegians.”

The value of what the cruiser achieved was summed up by Mr Bondevik at the official ceremony, when he told the townspeople and gathered dignitaries: “If it had not been for the Glasgow and her valiant crew, our history might have been dramatically different.”

The Prime Minister passed on the good wishes of the current King, Harald V, and added: “We honour you and your comrades for your crucial service in our darkest hour.

“The strong ties between Norway and Britain were greatly enhanced by your efforts.”

He concluded: “Our warmest thanks to all of you.”

Among the others who paid tribute at the ceremony was Mrs Mariot Leslie, the British Ambassador to Norway, who flew up from Oslo with Defence Attache, Lt Col Steve Hughes RM and Defence Assistant Nicole Granholt, who did much of the groundwork for the visit.

Also there was Second Sea Lord’s Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Dick Melly, representing the First Sea Lord, while a number of affable senior Norwegian Navy officers were closely involved throughout the visit.

Norwegian veterans groups were represented by Hakon Lunde and Olaf Hartmann-Johnsen, while the Mayor of Molde, Jan Petter Hammerø, and County Governor Ottar Befring, were always there to smooth the British party’s path or sing their praises.

Pictures by Magne Åhjem Royal Norwegian Navy, unless otherwise stated.

Read Glasgow veterans get heroes’ welcome in Norway - Part 3 here.

View a full gallery of images here.