One of the most widely recognized heroes of the attack on Athenia was the ship’s Chief Officer Barnet Copland, a 32-year-old merchant mariner who had spent more than half his life at sea. Copland was born in 1907 and grew up in Stepps, a northeastern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Peter, was a railway clerk and his mother, Elizabeth Mackenzie Copland, was a housewife already raising two older children. While Peter eventually became a station agent for the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) Railway service, young “Barney” was more interested in the sea. Glasgow, a major port and shipbuilding center, must have been a powerful attraction. After leaving Glasgow’s Royal Technical College at age 15, he went to sea as an apprentice with the Donaldson Line, one of the city’s oldest merchant shipping companies. Copland proved to be capable and a quick study. By the age of 19 he had secured his Masters and Mates certificate as a second mate.

Fond of the outdoors, he often enjoyed walks in the rugged Scottish Highlands, which helped him maintain an athletic build on his 5’9” frame. By all accounts, Copland was quiet and unassuming, with an engaging smile and the dark, rugged looks of a Hollywood leading man, right down to the attractive little cleft in the middle of his chin. Like many of his younger fellow officers, he was unmarried. The long absences required by ocean voyages undoubtedly made it difficult to maintain lasting relationships for the men and women in the maritime services. As evidence of this nomadic lifestyle, Copland listed as his permanent residence his parents’ home in Dundee, Scotland.

The ship’s chief officer was second-in-command to Athenia’s master, Captain James Cook. Among Copland’s responsibilities was the overall evacuation of the ship in case of an emergency. Though not part of his duties, Copland had developed a habit of walking the ship from stem to stern before turning in every night, noting any irregularities, or matters that would require attention the following day. His routine and the fact that he had made 20 previous crossings in Athenia provided him with a thorough knowledge of all the ship’s back alleys and working stairways, knowledge he put to good use on Sept. 3, 1939 when the torpedo hit and knocked out all the lighting on board.

In my next blog I will explore the actions Copland took in the minutes and hours that followed the initial torpedo’s deadly blow, actions he was too modest to recount later in life.

Photo: Newsreel frame capture – ITN Source