Dennis Arthur Copperwheat
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Dennis Arthur Copperwheat (May 23 1914 - September 8 1992) of the Royal Navy
won the George Cross
for the heroism he displayed on 22 March 1942 in scuttling a burning ammunition ship in Valletta
harbour http://www.naval-history.net/WW2MedalsBr-GC.htm#copp.Lieutenant Copperwheat came from a small town called Rushden near Northampton.
In the midst of heavy German air attacks on Malta
, Lieutenant Copperwheat commanded a squad of men from HMS Penelope
sent to scuttle a Norwegian merchantman, laden with ammunition which was burning in the busy harbour. As the men laid scuttling charges, the fires caused ammunition stored on the deck to explode all around them and prevented the charges being laid in the ships hold. Therefore the charges had to be draped over the sides of the stricken vessel. The ship lay forty yards from the shore and, as the electric cables required to fire the charges could only just reach the shore, Copperwheat took it upon himself to fire the charges after seeing his men safely to cover. He was exposed to the full force of the charges he had laid but was successful in sinking the ship. Had the ship been left to burn, the inevitable explosion from the burning ammunition would have caused grievous damage to Valletta's vital harbour. Much of the ammunition from the ship was salvaged and used in the liberation of Italy
.
The London Gazette announced the awarding of the George Cross on 17 November 1942.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
won the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
for the heroism he displayed on 22 March 1942 in scuttling a burning ammunition ship in Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
harbour http://www.naval-history.net/WW2MedalsBr-GC.htm#copp.Lieutenant Copperwheat came from a small town called Rushden near Northampton.
In the midst of heavy German air attacks on Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Lieutenant Copperwheat commanded a squad of men from HMS Penelope
HMS Penelope (97)
HMS Penelope was an Arethusa-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Harland & Wolff , with the keel being laid down on 30 May 1934...
sent to scuttle a Norwegian merchantman, laden with ammunition which was burning in the busy harbour. As the men laid scuttling charges, the fires caused ammunition stored on the deck to explode all around them and prevented the charges being laid in the ships hold. Therefore the charges had to be draped over the sides of the stricken vessel. The ship lay forty yards from the shore and, as the electric cables required to fire the charges could only just reach the shore, Copperwheat took it upon himself to fire the charges after seeing his men safely to cover. He was exposed to the full force of the charges he had laid but was successful in sinking the ship. Had the ship been left to burn, the inevitable explosion from the burning ammunition would have caused grievous damage to Valletta's vital harbour. Much of the ammunition from the ship was salvaged and used in the liberation of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The London Gazette announced the awarding of the George Cross on 17 November 1942.