IN WHICH THEY SERVED by Brian Lavery
During World War II, Britain's Royal Navy has to expand more than sevenfold, in the faces of the threat of invasion, enemy bombing and the need to carry out campaigns all around the world. To find officers for this force it had to move well outside its normal supply of boys trained from the age of 13. It started by recruiting yachtsmen and giving them a smattering of naval discipline before sending them to sea. Then it sent possible officers into action as ordinary seamen, to live a hard and dangerous life in destroyers. Selected men were then given their officer training in three months in an improved seaside base at Brighton. They sailed as officers in all kinds of ships, but especially in the new landing craft which would invade North Africa, Italy and Normandy. Those appointed to escort vessels in the Battle of the Atlantic came under the fearsome gaze of Commodore Stephenson, the 'Terror of Tobermory' before being sent out on convoy escort. One of Britain's leading naval historians looks at the social background of British wartime naval recruits, the training methods, the personal experiences of those involved and what they had to learn to become an officer of the watch on the bridge of a warship, or even the captain of a landing craft or frigate in the Second World War. The book draws widely from personal experiences of those who served and presents a rich collection of wry quotes and numerous anecdotes from household names such as Alec Guinness, Evelyn Waugh, Nicholas Monsarrat and George Melly as we follow them through the rigours of the war at sea. It has much to say on seamanship, naval technology, leadership and organisation.
Lavery has an impeccable command of the sources, and he is able to bring to vivid life the experiences of the ‘hostilities only’ naval officers … He writes extremely well and this is a very enjoyable book, despite the grim nature of the subject-- Gary Sheffield * Who Do You Think You Are Magazine *
Although based on personal testimony, Lavery’s book is more than an account constructed of oral history. It is part social history, part policy history and, indeed, part literary history. Lavery gives an excellent chapter-long account of Nicholas Monsarrat’s service and the influence of his wartime books and postwar classic The Cruel Sea. Lavery includes a great deal of analysis of the various problems faced by the Navy in trying to expand its officer corps and the problems faced by those officers in training and at sea. Highly readable, this is an excellent account of the war at sea as seen from the officer’s perspective – and indeed the potential officer’s experience, including their time as a rating. -- Duncan Redford * Journal of Contemporary History *
Although based on personal testimony, Lavery’s book is more than an account constructed of oral history. It is part social history, part policy history and, indeed, part literary history. Lavery gives an excellent chapter-long account of Nicholas Monsarrat’s service and the influence of his wartime books and postwar classic The Cruel Sea. Lavery includes a great deal of analysis of the various problems faced by the Navy in trying to expand its officer corps and the problems faced by those officers in training and at sea. Highly readable, this is an excellent account of the war at sea as seen from the officer’s perspective – and indeed the potential officer’s experience, including their time as a rating. -- Duncan Redford * Journal of Contemporary History *
Brian Lavery is one of Britain's leading naval historians and a prolific author. A Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and a renowned expert on the sailing navy and the Royal Navy, in 2007 he won the prestigious Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award. His naval writing was further honoured in 2008 with the Society of Nautical Research's Anderson Medal. His recent titles include Ship (2006), Royal Tars (2010), Conquest of the Ocean (2013), In Which They Served (2008), Churchill's Navy (2006), and the Sunday Times bestseller Empire of the Seas (2010).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781844860975 |
| ISBN 10 | 1844860973 |
| Title | IN WHICH THEY SERVED |
| Author | Brian Lavery |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2009-08-03 |
| Number of pages | 416 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |