STIRRING STORY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 95, 22 April 1940, Page 7

STIRRING STORY

BATTLE OF NARVIK

MANY ACTS OF GALLANTRY

CAPTAIN'S DEATH

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) LONDON, April 19, . The heroes of the Hardy gave a stirring account of the battle in Narvik Fiord. One member of the crew, acting as spokesman, said: "We sailed up the fiord at dawn that Wednesday morning. Our first torpedo hit a German destroyer, which was torn apart. Other destroyers fired in relays, sinking nearly every ship ir> Narvik Harbour. It was a shambles. We could see ships sunk or half-sunk everywhere.' "The German batteries opened up, but caused little damage. We were preparing to attack again when three heavy German destroyers slipped out from a fiord behind us, firing from 3000 yards. They could not help hitting us, and we were badly hit Captain Warburton Lee fell down, the signal officer, Lieut. Cross, was killed, and the I navigating officer, Lieut-Commander Gordon Smith, was seriously injured. "The skipper's secretary, Lieut. Stanning, took command and kept the guns working, but more shells wrecked the steering gear and tht main steam pipe. We were in a bad way, and ran into the shallows and grounded on the rocks, 300 or 400 yards from the shore~ "We got our last order from the ship, and the last order Captain Warburton Lee ever gave: 'Abandon ship. Every man for himself, and good luck!" "One man swam with Captain Warburton Lee to land through 100 yards of icy water, and then waded 300 yards and got him ashore, but there was no hope for him, and he died shortly afterwards. "We all piled into the water, under fire all the time. The Germans fired shrapnel at us. "The torpedo officer, Lieut. Heppell, was a real hero. He saved at least five men,. swimming back and forth, helping those who could not swim. About 170 men got ashore. Seventeen were killed and two are missing."