WE'VE just passed the 80th anniversary of HMS Glow-worm's tragic battle off the coast of Norway on April 8 1940.

Gerard Roope, the Weymouth captain of Glow-worm, who fought a heroic but eventually fatal battle against three German war ships, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Reader Alvin Hooper reminds us: "This action is unique in the annals of the Royal Navy, as the Captain of the Hipper (one of the German ships) sent a letter through the Red Cross recommending that Lt. Cmdr. G.B. Roope be given the Victoria Cross for his audacity and gallantry."

Thanks to Alvin for this timely reminder.