Read an Excerpt
Introduction
I have placed these stories in chronological order, with a personal bias towards the Second World War. I hope that the reader will find that these stories are not as the usual run of anthologies.
‘Hornblower and the Widow McCool’ by C S Forester from Hornblower and the Crisis’. (Michael Joseph)
Hornblower is, of course, the best known fictional character in sea fiction. This short story is not well known, but illustrates the dilemmas which a young officer can be faced with on active service. I especially like the puzzle.
‘Peter Simple’ by Captain Marryat. (W. Nicholson & Sons,London) – date unknown.
Marryat was a midshipman under the famous Captain Cochrane, the model for many Napoleonic sea story heroes. This extract is particularly interesting to me because it is the only account I know of, of an extreme manoeuvre called ‘club-hauling’ – a desperate last resort to avoid the ship being driven ashore.
‘Through the Gap’ from Down to the Sea by ‘Shalimar’ (F C Hendry). (Blackwood & Sons, 1946)
Frank Hendry is without doubt my favourite sea-story writer. He had a distinguished career at sea in sailing and steam ships, and was aRangoonpilot for some years. He then joined the Indian army and was awarded the MC for commanding a paddle steamer in the Tigris during the disastrous campaign in Mesopotamia (Iraq) in the First World War. He then, in retirement, wrote many stories which were published by Blackwood's magazine in the 1940's and 1950's.
‘On Camouflage, and Ships’ Names’ from Merchantmen at Arms, by Captain D Bone, (Chatto& Windus, 1919)
Captain Bone (later Sir David Bone) is well known for his book, The Brassbounder, taken from his apprenticeship in sail. He became Commodore master of the Anchor Line, and served throughout both world wars. His writing style is wonderfully archaic, and he is the only person who seems to have used the title ‘Merchant’s Service’, a far more accurate forerunner to the later term, ‘Merchant Navy’.
‘I Was There’ by Nicholas Monsarrat, from The Ship That Died of Shame and Other Stories. (Cassell, 1959)
A rather moving account of theDunkirkevacuation from an imaginative point of view.
‘Without Incident’ by G. Drake, from Touching the Adventures. (G Harrap, 1953)
Geoffrey Drake was my first divisional officer when I, as a young cadet in HMS Conway, was training for the merchant navy. He was an unforgettable character and a seaman to his fingertips, as well as having many other artistic talents. His story well shows the sheer strain of operating in convoy; a strain unknown to modern seafarers.
‘Quiet Holidaywith a Genius’ by Weston Martyr quoted in More Joys of Life by Uffa Fox. (Nautical Publishing Company [Harrap] 1972)
This story is a wonderful description of Uffa Fox at the height of his powers, when he was designing the Airborne Lifeboat, an extraordinary craft, one of which is on display atNewport, IOW. It is told in Weston Martyr’s inimitable style.
‘Send Down a Dove’ by Charles MacHardy. (Collins, 1968)
This book is a real eye-opener for anyone who has read one of the conventional books on life in a submarine. Set at the close of WW2 inEurope, it is from the lower deck's point of view, and vividly portrays the squalor and cold of life aboard, and the heroic fatalism of the crew.
‘Aircraft Carrier’ by John Winton. (Michael Joseph, 1980)
A brilliant evocation of the life of a Fleet Air Arm pilot in the British Pacific Fleet in the closing stages of the war againstJapan. This fleet was known as the 'forgotten fleet' as it did not have much publicity then, or since.
