大象传媒

My father was in the Royal Navy from 1916 until 1928, and thereafter was in the Royal Naval Reserve. Consequently he was recalled to the Royal Navy in August 1939 at the age of 38 years.
He came home on leave for Easter on Good Friday and that was the last time we were to see him.
He was serving on H.M.S. Acasta which was then sent to Norway to take part in the evacuation of Narvik. On the 8th June 1940 the Destroyers Acasta and Ardent were detailed to escort the Aircraft Carrier H.M.S. Glorious, and were proceeding about 200 miles ahead of the main convoy carrying troops and equipment, when they were intercepted by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisner.
H.M.S. Glorious was heavily laden, not only with their own aircraft, but it was also carrying RAF Gladiators of 263 Squadron and Hurricanes of 46 Squadron. Glorious was soon overcome and was sunk. Acasta and Ardent tried to save Glorious, laying protective smoke, but then Ardent suffered the same fate.
Acasta survived for some time longer, and might have got away, but it went back through the smoke and attacked with torpedoes, scoring a hit on the engine room of Scharnhorst causing the enemy ships to abandon their sortie to the north and return to port, thus probably saving the Allied troop convoys, also HMS Devonshire, carrying the Norwegian Royal Family and Government.
The Germans didn't wait to pick up any survivors, and 1530 men died.
There was only one survivor called Nick Carter from HMS Acasta. My Father has a grave in Narvik Civil Cemetery, but I don't know how he came ashore. I have assumed he was picked up by fishermen.
Reports from the German ships after the war praised the bravery of the little ships, and said the guns of Acasta were firing right up to the end - my Father was a gunnery rating.
All this happened on my 7th birthday.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.