Today marks the 80th anniversary from a tragic WWII conflict in the Fjords which claimed the lives of 1519 crew members and Navy personnel - among them 51 Maltese - during the worst months of the Second World War.

The people on board

Among the Maltese who lost their lives on board one of the three ships was Alfred Gory Jones, whose grandson is today commemorating his grandfather's passing on public Facebook group Nostalgia Malta: "My grandfather drowned after being left for three days in the icy waters near Norway after they were attacked by German warships while protecting the Norwegian Crown," he wrote.

Alfred's grandson, Simon, included several pictures of his grandfather, medals he won along the years as well as the letter the family received informing them of his passing: "These are some of the memories we have of him," Simon explains, adding that his grandmother was in possession of a ring with his picture in it, while Alfred had one of hers: "...it is now buried at the bottom of the sea."

One local woman also recalled her uncle Emm Bartolo, who also passed away during the conflict: "I have never seen a photo of him my dad always told us about him," she wrote.

Another woman commented on the post explaining that the battle had been ongoing since April 1940 and that a relative had passed away on board another battleship involved in the conflict: "My grandfather was aboard the HMS Hardy and there were five more Maltese people in the crew," she wrote. Referring to it as a "living hell," she continued to explain that her grandfather had survived the swim from their sunken ship to land in the icy Fjord water: "There were many people who died or were injured but somehow they survived."

Reports reveal that locals had been kind to both HMS Hardy and HMS Glorious survivors: "They offered them help but they were scared they would be found out by German soldiers and would be taken as prisoners of war," she said.

What happened in the battle?

The battleship HMS Glorious, alongside two destroyers Acosta and Ardent, were heading to Scapa Flow in Scotland through the Norwegian Sea, when they were spotted by enemy ships and a heavy bombardment ensued. The Ardent was the first to sink, and the HMS Glorious became the target. The first shell that hit the ship tore through the flight deck, preventing the dispatch of aircrafts thus crippling the ship's defense system. 

In the ensuing battle, HMS Glorious sank next, followed by the Acosta barely 10 minutes later. The entire battle was over in less than two hours. There were only 40 survivors from the three ships, who managed to swim through the icy waters to reach land.

Simon Jones via Nostalgia Malta / Facebook

RIP to all the souls that lost their lives in this conflict.