Basil Charles Godfrey Place

What does it take to steer a tiny submarine beneath one of Nazi Germany's most feared battleships, knowing that survival is far from certain? For Lieutenant Basil Charles Godfrey Place, the answer was extraordinary courage, determination and an unwavering commitment to duty. His daring attack on the German battleship Tirpitz during the Second World War earned him the Victoria Cross and secured his place among Britain's greatest naval heroes.

Born on 19 July 1921 in Little Malvern, Worcestershire, Basil Charles Godfrey Place joined the Royal Navy as a teenager in 1935. When the Second World War erupted, he was serving aboard HMS Newcastle before volunteering for submarine warfare. During operations in the Mediterranean, he served aboard HMS Urge, HMS Una and HMS Unbeaten. His service as liaison officer aboard the Polish submarine ORP Sokół earned him Poland's Cross of Valour, with British permission to wear the decoration officially recorded in the London Gazette on 10 February 1942. His contribution to successful submarine patrols, including HMS Unbeaten's sinking of the Italian submarine Guglielmotti in March 1942, brought him the Distinguished Service Cross, gazetted on 4 May 1943.

Yet his most remarkable mission was still ahead. On 22 September 1943, during Operation Source, the 22-year-old Place commanded the British X-class midget submarine HMS X7 in an audacious attack on Tirpitz, anchored in Norway's heavily defended Kåfjord. After a journey of approximately 1,000 miles, Place and his crew penetrated enemy minefields, navigated anti-submarine nets and evaded German defences to reach the battleship. Despite becoming repeatedly entangled in protective nets, X7 successfully placed powerful explosive charges beneath Tirpitz. The resulting explosions severely damaged the battleship, keeping one of Germany's most dangerous warships out of action for months.

But victory came at a terrible price. X7 became trapped during its withdrawal, and Place was forced to abandon the submarine. Two members of his crew lost their lives, while Place and the survivors were captured. His Victoria Cross citation, published in the London Gazette on 22 February 1944 while he remained a prisoner of war, praised the extraordinary courage and endurance demonstrated by Place and fellow X-craft commander Lieutenant Donald Cameron. After liberation, Place received his Victoria Cross from King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 22 June 1945.

For many men, surviving such an ordeal might have marked the end of a combat career. For Place, it opened another remarkable chapter. In 1950, he transferred from submarines to the Fleet Air Arm, qualified as a naval pilot in 1952 and flew Hawker Sea Fury fighters from HMS Glory during the Korean War. He later served as executive officer of HMS Theseus during the 1956 Suez operation, before holding important naval commands, including HMS Tumult, HMS Rothesay, HMS Ganges and the aircraft carrier HMS Albion. His distinguished career ultimately brought promotion to Rear-Admiral in 1968.

His service brought further international and royal recognition. He received the Portuguese Military Order of Aviz in the grade of Commander in 1955, was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1970 and became Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1991 Birthday Honours. After retiring from the Royal Navy in 1970, he continued serving the wider community and led the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association for more than two decades, helping preserve the legacy of Britain's bravest servicemen and women.

Rear-Admiral Basil Charles Godfrey Place died on 27 December 1994, aged 73. From the silent depths beneath Tirpitz to the skies over Korea, his extraordinary career demonstrated that courage is not confined to a single battlefield. His Victoria Cross remains a lasting symbol of the determination, sacrifice and leadership that defined his life.