| ID | Description | Categories | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1282 | BULLEY, Hugh. A Boy at Sea. [x], 461p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Velvet Hoof, 2005. ISBN: 0954604512. He grew up as a prep school headmaster's son and went to Dartmouth aged thirteen in 1938. In 1942 he left to join Queen Elizabeth in Alexandria as a snotty. He moved to the a/s auxiliary Cocker to get sea time but soon moved to Eridge and was with her when she was badly damaged by air attack. He then moved to Javelin and then on to Orion. For a busy part of the Mediterranean war. In mid-1943 he returned to the UK for further training at Excellent followed by an appointment to Nith, refitting in Glasgow as a headquarters ship and in which he served off the Normandy coast until her damage from air attack in late June. At the start of 1945 he joined Tyrian refitting for the Eastern then Pacific Fleets, reaching Sydney just before war's end. A full and anecdotal autobiography enriched with the author's own paintings. |
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| 1283 | BURN, Alan. The Fighting Captain: Frederic John Walker RN and the Battle of the Atlantic. [xx], 204p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Cooper, 1993. ISBN: 085052315X.
The author was Walker's gunnery officer on Starling and brings the intimacy of reminiscence to this good but hagiographic account. |
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| 1284 | BUSH, Eric Wheler. Bless our Ship. 282p., illus. London: Allen & Unwin, 1958.
Captain Bush's autobiography, one-third of which describes his career in WWII. He was with minesweepers at Dunkirk, helped guard the Channel, took command of the new cruiser Euryalus which served in the Mediterranean, then assisted in the staff work for D-Day. Finally he temporarily recommissioned Malaya for bombardment duties before serving in SEAC until the end of the war. A delightful book. |
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| 1285 | BUXTON, Michael Auriol. Service at Sea: With the Royal Navy in World War II. viii, 115p., illus. [n.p., author], 1988.
He had a busy war, serving with Birmingham in Norway before moving on to Prince of Wales in which he served during the Bismarck chase and going with her to the Far East. After surviving her sinking he briefly transferred to the then refitting Glasgow. He moved to a spell at the Signals School then to the staff of Force 26 at Plymouth, leading to a period of violent action in sweeps off the French Coast. After this he joined the staff planning the occupation of Germany. |
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| 1286 | CALLAGHAN, James. Time and Chance. 584p., illus., index. London: Collins, 1987. ISBN: 000637395X.
The former Prime Minister describes his war service briefly. He joined up in 1942 and served as a seaman in the Royal Naval Patrol Service trawlers at Lamlash. After a period of illness, he became an "expert" on Japan at the Admiralty. He served a short spell with East Indies Fleet before standing in the 1945 General Election. |
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| 1287 | CATLOW, T. N. A Sailor's Survival: Memoirs of a Naval Officer. viii, 227p., illus. Lewes: Book Guild, 1997. ISBN: 1857761596.
Catlow went to the Royal Naval College in 1928. By 1939 he was in submarines and had the unenviable task of breaking to families the news of the loss of Thetis. That September he was Third Hand on Trident and later spare First Lieutenant at Harwich. For the second half of 1940 he was First Lieutenant of Clyde and at the beginning of 1941 did his Perisher. He was appointed spare Captain at Gibraltar and in early 1942 flew as a replacement to Malta. His plane was shot down over Sicily and he was captured. Keen to escape he got out of camp and as far as Denmark as a result of which he spent the rest of the war in Colditz. The book also describes the rest of his career. |
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| 1288 | CAUSLEY, Charles. Hands to Dance and Skylark. 191p. London: Robson, 1979. ISBN: 0860510603.
A collection of short stories of naval life at war by the well-known poet. First published in 1951, this new edition includes a long autobiographical fragment describing his training and seatime at Skegness and with a Home Fleet destroyer. |
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| 1289 | CHALMERS, W. S. Full Cycle: The Biography of Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay. 288p., bibliog., illus. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1959.
The autobiography of one of Britain's leading admirals. He was in Dover command during Dunkirk, a planner for Torch and a commander during Husky and Neptune. |
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| 1290 | CHATFIELD, A. E. M. The Navy and Defence: The Autobiography of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Chatfield. 2 vols., illus., index. London: Heinemann, 1942–47.
Chatfield was First Sea Lord from 1933 to 1938. He was then fairly swiftly called in to the Cabinet as Co-ordinator of Defence, which post he held until retirement in 1940. The latter part of volume 2, entitled "It Might Happen Again," describes this period. |
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| 1291 | CHATTERTON, E. Keble. Leaders of the Royal Navy (Leaders of Britain, no. 1). 126, [2]p. London: Hutchinson, [1940]. Potted biographies of Admirals Pound, Forbes, and Cunningham. |
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| 1292 | CHERRY, A. H. Yankee RN: Being the Story of a Wall Street Banker Who Volunteered for Active Duty in the Royal Navy Before America Came into the War. 544p., illus., index. London: Jarrold, 1951.
After training, Cdr. Cherry saw active service on HM Ships Winchester, Reading, Evadne, Riou, and Wren, before serving in Germany. His career is very pleasantly recalled. |
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| 1293 | CHURCHER, Colin. To Render Safe. [vii], 233p. Edinburgh: Pentland, 1999. ISBN: 1858216958.
An autobiography couched in the third person. He joined up in 1943 aged 17. After training he joined Myngs then completing in the Tyne, as a seaman. An Arctic convoy was followed by supporting carriers attacking Tirpitz and this routine continued until VE Day. As a fleet destroyer she was soon off to SEAC but saw no action although at the surrender of Singapore. Most of the book describes his postwar career in diving and bomb and mine disposal. |
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| 1294 | CLARK, Victor. Triumph and Disaster: The Autobiography of a Naval Officer. 128p., illus. Tunbridge Wells: Parapress, 1994. ISBN: 1898594082.
A disappointing and somewhat self-indulgent book, mainly concerned with postwar sailing adventures. He began the war as First Lieutenant of Punjabi and fought at Narvik. After a brief spell in command of Anthony, he moved to Repulse in which he was sunk. Captured by the Japanese in the aftermath of the fall of Singapore he spent the rest of the war as a POW. |
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| 1295 | CLARKSON, Robert. Headlong into the Sea. xiii, 237p., illus. Durham: Pentland, 1995. ISBN: 1858212863.
He joined as a cadet Paymaster in May 1939. At the outbreak of war he was posted to Revenge which operated with the Halifax Escort Force. In July 1940 he took part in the "raid" at Plymouth to take Surcouf. Revenge then acted as part of the anti-invasion covering force and eventually moved on to join the Eastern Fleet. In September 1941 he transferred to Emerald as Senior Midshipman. She returned to the UK in June 1942 and he transferred to Carlisle as Captain's Secretary. She had a very long work-up before moving to the Mediterranean in March 1943. In mid-1943 he moved to a base job at Malta but after a year engineered a transfer to one of the Port Parties taking over Italian installations. A blissful period ended with VE Day and he was in transit to the Far East as the war ended. Enjoyable. |
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| 1296 | COLEMAN, Eric. Navy Days: Recollections of Navy Days by a Veteran of World War II. 175p. Budleigh Salterton: Andrew, 1999. ISBN: 095350610X.
He was 19 when war broke out. He volunteered and after training joined the depot ship Hecla. After surviving her sinking he joined the destroyer Anthony. |
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| 1297 | CONNELL, G. G. Jack's War: Lower Deck Recollections from World War II. 236p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Kimber, 1985. ISBN: 0718305655.
A very enjoyable chronological view of the war from a very different viewpoint. As much concerned with King's Regulations, punishment warrants, and incipient mutiny, with sippers and messing arrangements as with battles and bravery. |
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| 1298 | CORSON, P. F. R. Call the Middle Watch. xii, 329p., illus. Bishop Auckland: Pentland, 1997. ISBN: 1858214661.
Two generations of naval history covering the period 1905–1963. The son and author went through Dartmouth in the middle of the war and in 1944 joined Valiant in Ceylon. After her drydock accident he joined Queen Elizabeth which promptly had a two month refit in Durban. In February 1945 after his Seamanship Board, he joined the destroyer Norman, which moved to Sydney and in April joined the BPF, often with the replenishment group. She returned to Sydney in June and Corson went back to the UK for his promotion course. The interesting tale continues with battles from Borneo to the Cod War. |
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| 1299 | COTTRELL, David. Memories of an Unusual Able Seaman on Russian and East Coast Convoys in World War Two. xiii, 132p., illus., index. Weardale: Memoir Club, 2006. ISBN: 1841041416.
The author ran away to sea from Eton, returned, went to Cambridge University but volunteered for the RN as a seaman in late 1941 under the Y Scheme. After training at Ganges, he joined Kent in July 1942 and served in the Arctic. In May 1943 he went to King Alfred but failed the exams and was sent to Puffin on East Coast convoys to improve his signals work. In 1944 he began training as an Electrical Officer and was still in training at war's end. The book also covers his successful post-war career. |
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| 1300 | COURTNEY, Anthony. Sailor in a Russian Frame. 256p., illus., index. London: Johnson, 1968. ISBN: 0853070105.
The autobiography of a Russophile. His wartime career, including service with the naval mission in Moscow is described in 20 pages, and the book concentrates on his controversial postwar career. |
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| 1301 | CREE, Peter. At Sea with Cree. 110p., illus. Soberton: Peter Cree, 2005.
A career naval officer, he went to Dartmouth in 1942. Late that year he joined Duke of York at Scapa as a midshipman and served with her in the Atlantic and Arctic and for the TORCH landings. Late in 1943 he briefly joined the destroyer Venus before taking his Sub-Lieutenants courses. In mid-1943 he stood by Carron and served with her in European waters until war's end when she sailed for the Indian Ocean. The book then describes his later naval career. |
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