Lieutenant Commander Gerard Broadmead Roope (13 March 1905 – 8 April 1940) was a posthumous

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recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy awarded to British and

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forces. A 35-year-old

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officer, his action was the earliest awarded a Victoria Cross in the

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(although the award was not gazetted until after hostilities ended) and is one of very few to have the award justified, in part, from a recommendation and supporting evidence provided by the enemy.

Early life, education, and early naval career

Roope was born at Hillbrook, Trull, near

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, son of Gerard Roope, described as a "gentleman of independent means", and Florence, daughter of Thomas Palfrey Broadmead, JP, of Enmore Castle, Somerset. The Broadmead family had owned Enmore Castle since the 1830s, becoming part of the landed gentry. From the age of 13 he was educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne and then the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and on 15 January 1923 was appointed a midshipman in the gunroom of the battleship ''Revenge''. He subsequently served as a sub-lieutenant on the ''Concord'' and the ''Caledon'', and on the ''Marlborough'' as a lieutenant, before taking command of the G-class destroyer HMS ''Glowworm'' on 22 July 1938.

Gallantry in action

On 8 April 1940, in the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea (; ; ) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separate ...

, the destroyer HMS ''Glowworm'' (1,345 tons), 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'' (14,000 tons). 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 picked up by the ''Admiral Hipper''. Lt-Cdr Roope drowned in the course of assisting the rescue of survivors. The ''Admiral Hippers commander,

Kapitän zur See Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

Hellmuth Heye, wrote to the British authorities via the

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, 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.

Personal life

Roope married Faith Dulcibella (1907–2001), daughter of George Frederick Clarke, of St Mary's Lodge, Argyle Road, Walton St Mary,

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, Somerset, of a landed gentry family of Bridwell,

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, and Theodora, daughter of Rev. John Benson Sidgwick, rector of Ashby Parva,

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. The Roopes lived at Richmond, then part of

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(now

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) and had a son and daughter. After the war Faith remarried. She died in 2001. GRO Reference: DOR Q2/2001 in TAUNTON (7241A) Reg A71B Entry Number 50

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 ''Glowworms 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.

References

* British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997) *

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a British historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took ...

(David Harvey, 1999) *

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the f ...

(This England, 1997) *Bravest of the Brave (John Glansfield, 2005)

External links

CWGC entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roope, Gerard Broadmead 1905 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from Taunton Royal Navy officers Royal Navy officers of World War II Royal Navy personnel killed in World War II Captains who went down with the ship Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross People lost at sea Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College