Naval hero almost left on enemy ship

A Bridge of Allan man helped rescue British prisoners on board the `Nazi Hell-ship’ Altmark during an incident on the coast of Norway.

George Lapsley, a 21-year-old ableseaman, was among a raiding party which boarded the German tanker and freed 299 British merchant seamen who were being taken to Germany. They were internees picked up from boats sunk by the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee.

Altmark was spotted in what at the time was neutral Norwegian waters by British aircraft and intercepted by HMS Cossack whose captain, Philip Vian, was given instructions to take possession of the tanker and liberate the prisoners.

George, whose home was in Allanvale Road, joined the Navy two years earlier and was later assigned to HMS Cossack.

Speaking to the press while home on leave following the incident, the former apprentice slater spoke of his admiration for the `daring young officer’ who, waving his revolver in the air and shouting `come on boys’, led the raiding party.

The Observer said: `Lapsley had a narrow escape from drowning when the order was given to board the German vessel. He had to make an eight-foot jump and, as he left the Cossack, his rifle became entangled in the ship’s rail.

`For a minute or so while the two ships swung broadside he remained suspended over the side of the Cossack, his legs dangling in the air, but ultimately he freed himself and leapt aboard the Altmark.

`He played his share in the handto-hand fighting with the Germans on board, putting his rifle butt to good use. The Altmark was a large ship and Lapsley was so long on board that he narrowly escaped being left behind when the Cossack pulled away but he managed to scramble back to his ship’

Eight German seamen were killed and 10 wounded in the action which took place on February 16 and 17. There were protests at the time of the raid from the Altmark’s Norwegian escorts but they did notthing to stop it.

The incident is often cited as the last Royal Naval action involving the use of cutlasses but this is not now thought to be correct.