There is a railway line linking the mines to Lulea, on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. Lulea is ice-bound for about half the year and the nearest ice-free Swedish port is 1,00 kilometres (625 miles. away). Lulea remains ice-bound from November to April each year, and during this period, the harbour of Narvik is utilized, wounding one man in the shoulder. It was then that the British fired in retaliation.
Among those still in hospital are about seventy Lascars. It is expected they will be discharged today.
One of the released prisoners, Aubrey Jenkins, of the Doric Star, which was sunk by the German pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee, told a thrilling story of the bravery and daring of the men from H.M.S. Cossack.
He said: "Immediately grappling irons were affixed to the sides of the Altmark, the men from the Cossack fairly leapt to their job, They appeared to relish danger as they landed on the Altmark's deck with pistols and flashing bayonets.
"During the scrap, it was obvious that the Germans had no stomach to face the brave, reckless British sailors. One German standing alongside me raised his pistol to shoot one of the boarding party, but he was not fast enough."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.