Ron Cope - Attack at Dawn: Reliving the Battle of Narvik in World War II

Attack at Dawn

Reliving the Battle of Narvik
in World War II

Ron Cope

Dedicated to my granddaughter Naomi
and her generation.

I have to give a big thank you to my publisher Authoright for achieving exactly what they said right from the start. A highly recommended team for first time authors.

Imperial War Museum (Collections and Research Department). Audio Recordings Code Numbers as below:

Cope 11586, Pulford 10610, Bourton 10746, Cheshire 16304, Robinson 11286

Proof Readers: My sister in law, Jacqueline Vickery for her considerable support between 2010/15 and Laura Pallett in 2014. They both did a sterling job correcting my many mistakes and keeping me focused. Alison, my wife for her patience over the six years. She can now have her breakfast room and conservatory back, well that is after the HMS Hunter book is published.

John Warburton-Lee, Ralph Brigginshaw, Geirr Haarr, Peter Mitchell (submerged.co.uk), Bob Pearson and Trevor Baker for their fantastic support, now considered friends.

My squash playing partner for many years, Tom Currie, who was there in the beginning when I decide to put pen to paper. Throughout, he has given me outstanding encouragement.

My Dads sisters, Auntie Marion and Auntie Vera who will be very pleased to see their brothers story finally written.

Leo Styles (Australia), Keith Greenslade, (Australia,) Lorry and Lucy Tirchett (Malta), Peter Michell at submerged.co.uk, Bill Sanders, Hans Houterman (Holland www.unithistories.com) Ian McCleod, Carmel Vassallo (Malta) Nicola Mulryan (Norway) Harry Rogers and Les Smale both of whom have passed away since I started my book.

The additional contributions from; Daryl Harries, John Avery, Mike Newton, Ted Stiles (Canada), Rosemary Barnes, Mike Stanner, Petra and Hakon Kristensen, Dominick Penrose, Gytha Lane-Morrow, Lesley Hood-Bourton, Olwen George, Catherine Mason, Heather McAlpine, Jacqui Harris, Lance Kennedy, Gill ORourke, Borg-Anna Sanders, Peter Siddall, David Woolley, Tony Quinn, Alexandro Kopsahilis, Fidelma Rogers, Tony Rogers, Kate Kennedy, Norma New, Di James, David Taylor, Anna Reid, Jill Smith, Richard Smith, Danielle OBrien, Dr Grafton Maggs, Len Brigginshaw, Andrew Cuthberton, Tore Eggan.

Denis Darmanin, John Mizzi, Paul Aquilina, Mary Leavey, Carmel Grima, (All Maltese Citizens).

National Archives at Kew and Her Majesties Stationary Office. Nick Grant at Ian Allan Publishers for giving permission to reproduce quotes from Peter Dickens book.

Shropshire Star, Express and Echo (Exeter) Oystermouth Parish Journal, Sunday Express (1980), Daily Mail (20th April 1940), Western Morning News, The Packet (Falmouth), Navy News, Times of Malta, Malta Independent, Salford Advertiser, Carrickfergus Times, Middlesbrough Gazette.

If I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me but by all means make contact and the error can be corrected.

This book is not intended to mislead readers into thinking it is a serious work of naval history. I leave that to those with far more professional abilities than I would claim to have. However, I believe it should be considered as being the first definitive record of accounts from those who were actually involved in the First British Battle of Narvik. It comprises their own experiences regarding how they managed to survive after the battle and also escape capture by the enemy. I cannot vouch that all the accounts are fully factual, although from the sheer volume that I have been able to gather, there must be a lot of truth.

However, I can definitely confirm the crew members of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla were there and during the ensuing years were still able to describe what they had witnessed. In addition, I have to accept that the information that has been provided by the crew members families and friends, passed on either verbally or recorded on paper or tape, is indeed true and correct.

As a mark of respect to the Norwegian people, I would like to point out that on the front cover I have written the phrase First British Battle of Narvik. This is because in actual fact the First Battle took place the day before on the 9th of April 1940. This was when the German Navy arrived and was confronted by, two First World War Norwegian coastal defence ships, Eidsvold and Norge. The Norwegian Captains having stood their ground the two ships were eventually torpedoed and sunk in the fjord. This resulted in 282 Norwegian sailors losing their lives. However, during the rest of the book I will refer to the First Battle of Narvik as happening on the 10th of April 1940.

As a remaining survivor of the Battle of Narvik, I was pleased to be asked by the author, Ron Cope, to write a Foreword for the events described in this book.

After joining the Royal Navy in 1935 at the age of fifteen with initial training at HMS St Vincent and a period aboard HMS Rodney and HMS Warwick, I was very pleased to be drafted to HMS Hardy, the leader of the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla under the command of Captain Warburton-Lee [Captain D], in early 1939.

After war broke out we served for a while in the Mediterranean and the South Atlantic, based at Freetown. In February 1940 we were suddenly and urgently ordered to return to the United Kingdom. After a short leave we were then sent north and eventually arrived in Scapa Flo.

From there the author then explains the action and aftermath when five destroyers of the Royal Navy eventually met ten larger destroyers of the German Navy. This was in the snow covered fjords of North Norway in the early hours of the 10th of April 1940; as related by members of HMS Hardys ships company.

I would like to thank Ron for all of his work and patience in bringing this story to life in a very interesting book.

Crawley, Sussex

January 2015.

After the battle, two Norwegian men were walking along the road overlooking the fjord near Narvik. One was a former medical corps soldier. They were searching to see if there were any poor souls from the aftermath that may have been swept ashore. After a while they saw two bodies on the rocks below. When they reached them they found that one was a young German sailor and the other had an HMS Hardy identity tag. He was Hugh Mantle from South Wales who was aged eighteen. Both killed or drowned in action. Their bodies were taken into Narvik for identification and burial.

You could just imagine those two Norwegians thoughts at the time, What a pointless waste of two young mens lives.

April 1940.

My interest in the sea began very early in my formative years and this, along with my Dads stories of his time in the Royal Navy, probably later led to my following in his footsteps.

The nearest popular seaside towns to Manchester were either in North Wales or the Lancastrian resort of Southport. As a youngster I remember being taken there on a number of occasions, travelling either on the train or by Charabanc or chara as it was then known. These trips were usually on Bank Holidays or Wake Weeks with my Gran Sarah Ann Murray, her sister Auntie Lizzy (Whewell) and other family members. All the passengers would be in a happy frame of mind because it was holiday time. En-route there would be sing songs and copious bottles of beer drunk by the men on the back seats.

However, the highlight was a weeks holiday on the Isle of Man, staying at Mrs Youdalls small hotel in Douglas. Before arriving there with my parents, sister Edith, and brother Cyril (fourteen months older), plus a number of our extended family, I had the first opportunity to test my sea legs. I was about four years old and the voyage by ferry was not to my liking: I was sick for most of the time! Although, happily, on arrival at the port, the smell of smoked kippers were soon forgotten and the holiday began in earnest.