A CENTURY ago two Barrow submarines, each packed with five tons of Amatol explosive, took part in one of the most daring raids of the First World War.

One of them, called C1, had a delayed start and failed to reach the German occupied port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, while sister boat, C3, became part of Royal Navy legend.

The boat rammed its way through metal and set off its explosive charges to block a vital route used by German U-boats to attack Allied shipping.

The actions on April 23 in 1918 – backed up by almost 2,000 men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines – earned a Victoria Cross for the C3 commanding officer Richard Sandford .

The citation for his medal stated: “Lieutenant Sandford commanding HM Submarine C3, skilfully placed the vessel between the piles of the viaduct which connected the Mole with the shore, before laying his fuse and abandoning her.

“He disdained to use the gyro steering which would have enabled him and his crew to abandon the submarine at a safe distance, but preferred to make sure that his mission would be successful.”

Sandford didn’t have long to enjoy his national fame.

He died of typhoid fever at Eston Hospital, North Yorkshire, 12 days after the signing of the Armistice.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Dover museum has the speed indicator salvaged from C3 and the town also has a memorial to the raid called the Zeebrugge Bell – the gift of the Belgian Royal family.

It is rung at noon on April 23 each year to mark the anniversary of the raid.

More than 200 British servicemen were killed in the raid.

The C3 was built by Vickers and was launched on October 3 in 1906.

C3 was 287 tons on the surface and 316 tons when submerged.

It was 143ft long and was powered by a 600hp Vickers petrol engine on the surface and an electric motor when under the water.

It could do 12 knots on the surface and seven submerged. It carried a crew of 16.

The Barrow submarines were part of an armada of mostly aging warships crewed by volunteers and carrying 700 Royal Marines.

Among the Marines on HMS Vindictive was Harold Edward Bulmer, who was born

in Barrow in March 1899.

He was among the troops who charged a heavily defended breakwater called the

Zeebrugge Mole.

More than 200 were killed and Marine Bulmer got back to England with a wounded right hand and chest.

Such was the general degree of bravery on show that he was among those who took

part in a ballot to decide who should get the Victoria Cross.

Marine Bulmer’s wounds were not received until after a fighting retreat back

to HMS Vindictive – which limped home peppered with shell holes.

Bulmer had not seen enough adventure and served in the Royal Navy for most of

the period until September 1945.

He was a witness, as a crew member of HMS Cumberland, to the destruction of the

German pocket battleship Graf Spee at the River Plate in South America. He died in

January 1964.

He was not the only Barrow link with the raid.

The Barrow battleship HMS Dominion was launched on august 25 in 1903 and her

12-inch diameter gun barrels provided long-range support for the raid.