Gerard Broadmead Roope


Gerard Broadmead Roope was a posthumous British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
A 35-year-old Royal Navy officer, his action was the earliest awarded a Victoria Cross in the Second World War and is one of very few to have the award justified, in part, from a recommendation and supporting evidence provided by the enemy.

Gallantry in action

On 8 April 1940, in the Norwegian Sea, the destroyer HMS Glowworm, commanded by Lt-Cdr Roope, engaged two enemy destroyers while heading alone to Norway's West Fjord. After one of the enemy ships was hit, they both broke off and retreated to the north. Though aware that the enemy destroyers were attempting to draw him towards German capital ships, he gave chase. Glowworm soon spotted the German cruiser Admiral Hipper. He alerted the Home Fleet before turning to engage the cruiser. Glowworm fired ten torpedoes but scored no hits and was soon battered by enemy rounds and set on fire. With only three guns still firing, the heavily damaged destroyer ended up ramming the cruiser, gouging open several holes in her hull and destroying her forward starboard torpedo mounting. Glowworm then fired one more salvo, scoring a hit, before she capsized and sank. Of the crew of 149, one officer and 30 men survived and were chivalrously picked up by the Admiral Hipper. Lt-Cdr Roope drowned in the course of assisting the rescue of survivors. The Admiral Hipper's commander, Kapitän zur See Heye, wrote to the British authorities via the Red Cross, recommending award of the VC for his opponent's courage in engaging a vastly superior warship.

The medal

The citation reads:
The award was presented to his widow on 12 February 1946. This Victoria Cross is currently in private ownership and is not on public display.

Literary reference

The novel Battle of the April Storm, by Larry Forrester, is based upon the action between Glowworm and Hipper. The characters are fictional, including the Glowworm's captain, but the story depicts an "unlucky" ship that is redeemed by an heroic final action and, at the end, the fellowship between mariners, even enemies.