A HEREFORD man has been part of a mission to learn winter survival skills in the mountains of Norway and follow in the footsteps of famous wartime raiders who stopped the Nazi atomic bomb programme.

Former Haywood High School pupil, 34-year-old Brennen Page was among 50 RAF reservists taking part in Exercise Wintermarch, led by the Norwegian military, which included Nordic ski-ing, how to survive an avalanche and dealing with the rigours of extreme cold.

A martial arts instructor in civilian life, Leading Aircraftman Page serves in the RAF Regiment in his spare time, and after leaving behind thick snow in Norway, he and fellow reservists were lucky to get home after the UK was deluged with heavy snow.

“I wanted to master cross country skiing, I’ve done downhill before but this is completely different. It was a great experience,” he said.

The airmen and women of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force were based at Rjukan, 100 miles north of the capital Oslo. The town is also the site of the wartime Telemark Raid which saw saboteurs dropped by the RAF to destroy a factory making vital parts for the Nazi effort to build an atomic bomb.

The students learned more about the operation with a talk from a close friend of one of those who took part in the raid, and they paid a visit to the museum built on the site.

In Norway, the Telemark Raid holds a similar place as the Battle of Britain does here and represents the nation’s own 'finest hour'.

The same skills used by the saboteurs are now taught by the Norwegian instructors, and participants finished their gruelling week with a cross-country skiing race.

LAC Page, who serves with Number 2624 Squadron based at Brize Norton, added: "I joined the reserves because I’m self-employed and wanted to advance my career and develop as a person. I love meeting new people and living different experiences."

Leading the expedition, Flight Lieutenant Rosie Gilmore said: “The RAF Reserves have been coming to Rjukan to train for many years and we’ve had a fantastic week here. The guys have got so much out of it. It’s hard work, but they all help each other and you can see that they’ve given their all but they’ve had a great time.”

The exercise comes at an important time for the RAF in its centenary year, and reflects the bonds stretching back to the war years when Norwegian airmen served in RAF squadrons fighting to defeat Germany and free their homeland. Both the UK and Norway are founder members of NATO.