Quiet Heroes: British Merchant Seamen at War, 1939-1945
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Quiet Heroes: British Merchant Seamen at War, 1939-1945 by Bernard Edwards
The men of Britain's Merchant Navy, although unarmed civilians going about their lawful business were the first to be involved with the enemy in the Second World War. Less than nine hours after the declaration of war on 3 September 1939, the Donaldson liner Athenia was sunk without warning by a German U-boat off the west coast of Ireland. From that moment onwards, British merchant seamen were constantly in the front line in all quarters of the globe. For almost six years they faced, without flinching, their own private hell of torpedoes, bombs, shells and mines, all the while fending off their old arch-enemy, the sea. Sorely pressed, and often tired near to death, they kept open Britain's tenuous lifelines, bringing millions of tons of raw materials, food, oil, arms and ammunition, without which the country could not have survived. As always, their spirit was indomitable, their professionalism unchallenged. The price they paid for their bravery and dedication was horrendous: 2,246 ships lost, 29,180 men killed, and countless hundreds maimed and wounded. This book tells the story of just a few of these quiet heroes.Bernard Edwards is a well-known writer in the maritime industry. As a young cadet, he served aboard British commercial ships during WWII, and subsequently as a navigating officer and captain-in-command, he traveled widely across the world. Years of expertise with ships and the sea have given him a wealth of knowledge from which he pulls when meticulously re-creating this battle for supremacy on the high seas during warfare.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781848842908 |
| ISBN 10 | 1848842902 |
| Title | Quiet Heroes: British Merchant Seamen at War, 1939-1945 |
| Author | Bernard Edwards |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pen & Sword Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2010-08-20 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |