Birmingham around Norway

A signal sent by Admiral Whitworth at 1850 on the 8th said, among other things, ‘Our objective is to prevent German forces reaching Narvik;

http://www.solutionsfocussed.com.au/Norway.html

On 24th of April, Layton and Manchester, York and Birmingham along with the usual fleet of escorts left Rosyth loaded with stores and troops set sail for Norway on one of the resupply sorties. Early in the morning of the 26th Layton’s ships came across a number of German armed trawlers disguised as Dutchmen. One minelayer hoisted the German flag and Birmingham¬ sunk it. My uncle Bill Walls, who was also in the Royal Navy, told me only recently that the rule was that there was no rescue of men when the ship sunk was under 10 000 tons. He tells that my father said that for this reason the captain of Birmingham shut off his engines as the cruiser ploughed through the debris – so as not to diminish the sailors already meagre chances of survival.

The Manchester and the Birmingham remained in the area until the 26th of April. The Birmingham then took part in the withdrawal of the British forces from central Norway in late April and 1 May. The Birmingham was bombed but not hit.