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The Raid on Zeebrugge - 23rd April 1918 |
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photographs to follow |
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THE WINNERS OF THE VICTORIA CROSS1. Captain Alfred Carpenter - Royal Navy The naval officers' ballot for the VC was won by Alfred Carpenter, who narrowly beat Lt-Cmd
Campbell of the Daffodil and Lt-Cmd Adams who led the attack along the Mole. Many of Adams' young friends who might have voted for him had been killed in the Raid. Capt Carpenter had
led the entire fleet across the channel in pitch darkness with no lights, radio or other navigation aids; they arrived at the Mole within a minute of the target time. His navigational skill and his cool
command of his vessel throughout the Raid won the admiration of all those under his command. Carpenter was later to become an Admiral and after his retirement spent years touring England and
North America lecturing on his experiences. As one of the 'heroes of Zeebrugge' he drew audiences of over two thousand at a time and his visits were headline news in every town. |
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2. Captain Edward Bamford - Royal Marine Light InfantryThe Royal Marines officers held their ballot and
selected Edward Bamford. He was the officer who led the Marine storming party onto the Mole from HMS Vindictive. |
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3. Lieutenant-Commander Arthur Harrison - Royal Navy (posthumous award)An England rugby international before
the war, Arthur Harrison started the Raid badly by being knocked unconscious and breaking his jaw. However he soon regained consciousness and insisted on joining the assault team which had had been led onto the Mole by
Bryan Adams. Harrison arrived on the Mole to meet Adams looking for reinforcements. He listened to Adams report and sent him back to fetch Marine support. He then gathered a team of men, including Able
Seaman Albert McKenzie carrying his Lewis gun, and led them in a tremendous charge along the Mole. But their assault was soon stopped by withering German fire and Harrison was mortally wounded. All the men
in this assault team were killed or badly wounded including Albert McKenzie. Another member of the assault team Able Seaman Eaves tried to carry Arthur Harrison's body back to the Vindictive
before being wounded himself. Eaves was later taken prisoner by the Germans, but Harrison had died on the Mole. |
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4. Lieutenant-Commander George Bradford - Royal Navy (posthumous award)As the Iris
came alongside the Mole, it was immediately obvious that the scaling ladders would be too short to reach from the vessel's deck to the top of the Mole. The huge swell made it impossible even to lean the ladders against the side of the harbour wall. One young officer - Lt Claude Hawkins - had climbed to the top of a ladder held up by his men and jumped onto the Mole. He was killed instantly by the German defenders.
George Bradford did not hesitate to follow his young colleague. Carrying a grappling hook in his hand, he climbed up an anchor hoist and jumped across the gap onto the Mole. As he secured the grappling
hook to the parapet wall, he was swept into the sea by a hail of machine gun bullets. |
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5. Lieutenant Richard Sandford - Royal NavyCommanding submarine C3 which he blow up under the Mole viaduct. |
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6. Lieutenant Percy Dean - Royal Navy Volunteer ReserveCommanding Motor Launch 282
which rescued the crews from the blockships Intrepid and Iphigenia at the mouth of the Bruges canal. |
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7. Sergeant Norman Finch - Royal Marine ArtilleryA fighting top, or machine gun nest, had been
constructed half way up the fore mast of the Vindictive. This fighting top was the only part of the Vindictive
which showed above the parapet of the Mole once she was alongside. From this vantage point Royal Marine machine gunners were able to engage any target they wished on the Mole. For the first few minutes of the attack they forced all the German defenders to take cover. It was this covering fire which allowed Lt-Cmdr Adams and his party to storm onto the Mole.
The Germans began to concentrate their fire on the fighting top and soon two shells cam crashing into this small compartment killing most of its occupants. Norman Finch, the sole
survivor, picked up the only serviceable Lewis gun left and resumed the covering fire. But his position was soon hit by more German shells and, badly wounded, he was forced to drag himself down
from the fighting top to the comparative safety of the Vindictive's sick bay. Norman Finch was selected by the non-commissioned Royal Marines to receive the VC |
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... The Medals |
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