Category: The Dominion Forces

The story of an astonishing life. By 1939 Bishop Wells had already fought in the Boer War and served as a chaplain in WWI. He set up the Canadian Army Chaplaincy in World War II, was retired on age grounds in 1943 and promptly became Chaplain of the Fleet! Sheds light on an unusual area.

HMS Uganda was transferred to the RCN and went on to serve in the Pacific. However the crew achieved the unique distinction of voting themselves out of the war and returned to Canada in July 1945. An autobiographical account by a CPO.

The Princes served as AMCs and as landing ships. An excellent account of their careers.

A brief history laced with crew members' reminiscences of the Tribal destroyer which is now preserved in Toronto.

A tribute to a Canadian Tribal. Completed in 1943 she was sunk in action in the Channel in 1944.

This book describes the 29th Flotilla, referred to as the "Fighting Sea Fleas." The complement of the 29th was later augmented by MTBs 485, 486,and 491 from the RN, but they were still manned by Canadian personnel, whose job was to keep the sea lanes open from the UK to the continent.

Cobourg completed in mid-1944 and saw the last year of the Atlantic Battle. The author served on her.

U 305 sank St. Croix in a convoy battle around ON202 in September 1943. This is a lightweight imaginative reconstruction of the careers of each vessel until their fatal meeting. Some months later the submarine was sunk with all hands.

How admirals, scientists, and politicians impeded the development of high technology in Canada's wartime Navy.

A folksy account of Zarn's service on Prince Robert and potted biographies and tall tales of assorted country boys serving on the lower deck.

An account of Montgomery's service on the eastern Canadian seaboard in the summer of 1942.

The rather bland memoirs of a Canadian pharmacist, who joined up as an officer in 1939 and served in the Battle of the Atlantic and in a number of training posts, ending the war as a Lt Commander. Post-war he had a distinguished professional career.

The Proceedings of the Sixth Maritime Command Historical Conference, held in 2002. The papers describe the careers of each of the ten Chiefs of the Naval Service of the RCN and there are autobiographical pieces from six contemporary commanders.

A personal memoir. He joined up in 1940 and as an asdic specialist on HMT Preston North End. He then moved to Achates from where he watched the sinking of Hood and picked up the survivors. After she was mined on the Russian convoy route he joined St Croix on Atlantic convoy work. He then took command of an LST serving at D-Day and in Malaya. An enjoyable tale.

Haida was a Tribal Class destroyer and fought long and hard in the Arctic, with the Home Fleet and in the Channel. She later fought in Korea and her story is told in this book in part as a plea for her to be preserved as a national monument – a battle which was won. Notably well illustrated.

Volume 1 covers the pre-war years while volume 2 covers the activities on shore during WWII, ranging from ship procurement to personnel training, the naval bases, etc.

The RCN as seen by naval wives – a quite different perspective.

A booklet describing the ships of the RCN and Merchant Navy in support of Navy Week 1942.

The final Navy Week booklet, published just after the defeat of Germany.

Another Navy Week booklet.

Articles about the RCN, in support of Navy Week.

He joined up in 1940 and after training joined Prince Robert in 1941. He soon moved to Trail and Atlantic convoys followed by a training post ashore at Cornwallis. This was followed by a spell as Executive Officer on Courbet, before moving to Restigouche in time for D-Day and operations in the Bay. He then returned to Canada to a training post.

An abridgement for younger readers of his official history.

The excellent but brief official history of the RCN in the war. Reprinted by Stoddart in 1987 (ISBN: 0870212036).

Born in 1910, the author had an adventurous career as a youth and toured the world. In 1941 he joined the RCN and the last 50 pages of the book describe the lighter moments of his service in the Battle of the Atlantic first on the corvette Ville de Quebec and then on the Algerine Fort Frances.

A bilingual work to mark the 55th anniversary of the U-boat attacks on Canada.

A detailed account of a still controversial incident.

Pugsley was a journalist and junior officer who chose to serve as an ordinary seaman in order to describe life on the lower deck. He uses this experience and those of the men he served with to describe the RCN at war. He spent two years as a rating, serving in Saguenay in the Atlantic, then in Sioux, Duke of York, the minesweeper Georgian from which he saw D-Day, with the Canadian MTBs and finally in Haida.

The illustrated story of 21 luxury yachts pressed into service in two world wars. Some 16 were used in coastal defence in WWII.

A dramatised account of the career of one of the most famous of RCN ships. A Tribal Class destroyer, she won fame from the Murmansk run to the Channel battles of 1944.

The frigate transferred from the RN to the RCN and served principally in the Atlantic and Arctic. The first half of the book is essentially a series of anecdotes from survivors, while the second has potted biographies of the crew. It was compiled for a reunion.

Edited by the ship's chaplain this is a largely photographic record of her war in 1944-45. She served briefly but with distinction from the Mediterranean to the Arctic.

A very brief account of her busy war.

Sackville is now preserved in Halifax, the only survivor of the 123 Canadian corvettes which served in World War II. A leading Canadian historian gives a full account of her active career and how she reached her new status as a museum.

A slim pamphlet recording the class alphabetically by name with a brief account of their doings.

This book describes life on one of the busy Atlantic based corvettes, which was part of the famous "Barber Pole" Escort Group, so named for the red and white stripes painted on their funnels.

A fully illustrated ship by ship operational history of the 14 Canadian C-H Class destroyers. A revised and updated edition was published by Vanwell in 2008 (ISBN: 1551250934) with Keith Butterley named as joint author.

A fully illustrated ship-by-ship account of a group which were the workhorses of the local escort of convoys.

A well-illustrated ship-by-ship account of the war-built frigates.

A heavily illustrated guide to the mainstay of the wartime RCN.

A mainly pictorial view of Canadian warships which of necessity largely depicts WWII. The photographs are excellent.

Swansea was involved in more U-boat kills - four - than any other RCN vessel. This is intended as a history of a typical RCN frigate.

A photo-essay which attempts to evoke a rather sanitised and rose-tinted view of wartime service in the RCN.

Another of the series with full plans and design history of the classic corvette design. Operational history is limited to six short paragraphs.

A tribute to this corvette which had a busy and successful war from Torch to Neptune via the Atlantic battles. No copy seen.

A profusely illustrated book on the ships which were the backbone of the Atlantic Battle.

Canada filled a manpower shortage in the RN by training many radar officers. Lynch joined up in 1941 and after training went to the UK then to Orion, refitting in San Francisco. He spent two years with her, mainly in the Mediterranean, including the invasions of Sicily and Salerno.

A history of the ship from the laying of her keel in 1939 to her change of name to Quebec in 1951. Uganda served in the Mediterranean until badly damaged at Salerno. After an extensive repair and refit she re-commissioned in the RCN and served in the Far East. Reprinted from the Sunday magazine section of the Daily Colonist.

A pot-pourri of information and facts. A second edition was published in 1957.

Describes six Canadian navy ships which were named after the communities on the Bay of Quinte who sponsored them. The ships are the corvettes Napanee, Belleville and Trentonian. Hallowell was a frigate, while Quinte and Quinte (II) were minesweepers, the first in World War II and the second during the Cold War.

The short bloody and ultimately tragic career of a flotilla formed in February 1944, which fought in the Channel until destroyed in a fire at Ostend one year later. Profusely illustrated with drawings by the author an Official War Artist as well as CO of the flotilla. An excellent book.

This engaging memoir was first privately published in 2003 by the author. He was an engineer lieutenant in the RCNVR who served initially with Cobalt on the triangle run. But the bulk of the book concerns his service on Qu'Appelle, particularly service for the Normandy landings and with a notable account of Skeena's grounding and sinking. Towards the end of the war he served briefly on Battler then stood by Warrior in Belfast.

These Canadian-built motor launches carried much of the unglamorous burden of inshore convoy and A/S work.

A member of the successful 9th Escort Group.

Trentonian was commissioned late in 1943 and served in the Neptune Operation and in the Atlantic where she was torpedoed and sunk in 1945 while escorting a convoy.

Ten popularised tales of personal heroism in some well known naval incidents.

More oral history covering a fascinating range from covert operations in the Far East to the corvette St. Thomas sinking U 877.

Another mixed set of reminiscences from WRCNS to destroyer command aged 25.

This volume continues the series first edited by Lynch (below) and contains the usual wide mix of stories from Japanese POW tales to the raid on Spitzbergen, corvette service, and D-Day.

One of Canada's favourite artists, he joined the RCN as an officer cadet in 1939. He spent two years training with the RN on Renown, Matabele, and Hood, seeing action from the South Atlantic to Norway. In 1941 he joined Ottawa and after her sinking moved to Niagara as Executive Officer. In 1943 he briefly commanded the corvette Long Branch before taking over as executive officer on Algonquin, where he spent the rest of the war on very active service. The book is beautifully illustrated with his line drawings.

Really an illustrated scrapbook.

A collection of essays by leading historians from the Second Fleet Historical Conference in Halifax. Covers a huge range of topics from A/S warfare to the WRNS.

A brief autobiographical essay on two legendary British Colombian seamen. Both were actively engaged in the war. The father mainly had administrative roles while the son served in the Atlantic.

A memoir of war in the WRCNS from 1943 to 1945.

Full of personal accounts, this is a popular history to restore the memory of "a forgotten fighting service".

Trapped in an unwelcome marriage he virtually ran away to sea and went down in the tragic sinking of the destroyer.

Commander German provides a solid general history with over one-third directed at WWII.

A photographic scrapbook of happy wartime days as a Wren cook.

A chiefly photographic history of the RCN with WWII well-represented.

A collection of reminiscences from 250 men who served in 50 corvettes. Loosely arranged into chapters covering different time periods or aspects of life at sea.

An autobiography. He joined up in 1940 and after training joined Prince David as an Ordinary Seaman, serving first in the Caribbean and then the Aleutians. When she went for conversion to a landing ship, he was drafted to Glasgow as a Leading Seaman at the very end of 1943. He stayed with her until after D-Day then crossed to Canada with Sheffield, before joining Uganda for service in the Pacific before returning home for discharge at war's end.

Intended as a supplement to Tucker's Official History, this exemplary work benefits from modern research, the use of declassified records and a team of excellent historians.

Intended as a supplement to Tucker's Official History, this exemplary work benefits from modern research, the use of declassified records and a team of excellent historians. It is in two volumes, the second listed below.

An excellent chronological account divided into 65 chapters describing the major incidents involving RCN vessels. The authors' names are reversed on the dustjacket.

Curry volunteered in 1939 and after training as an Asdic operator joined the corvette Kamsack on the North Atlantic convoys. After retraining he joined in 1943 the Bangor Class Caraquet based at Devonport for pre-invasion duties. He served with her until 1945.

A reconstruction of his father's war service. He joined the RCN in 1939 and his travels are reconstructed from ships' logs. A dry account which disguises service on over 60 convoys, seven of which were attacked, and the perils of submarines, air attacks, and collisions.

A truly esoteric interest. Naval Base maps and information; a list of all Canadian warships with commissioning and decommissioning dates, updates of censor stamp numbers, cancellations, black-out cancels, registered & miscellaneous covers and labels.

While still at school he joined the RCNVR as a midshipman and at the start of the war immediately went to sea on St Laurent. In August 1940 he went to Dartmouth as a special entry cadet and after graduating went to Mauritius which soon headed for the Indian Ocean. Early in 1942 he joined Liddesdale for his small ship time on East Coast convoys. He joined Anson briefly for his qualifying exams and in May 1943 joined Skeena on North Atlantic convoy work as a sublieutenant. She then took part in D-Day but that October ran aground in a storm and was lost off Iceland. In December 1944 he joined the new corvette Seacliff. Early in March 1945 he joined Gatineau but almost immediately switched to Ottawa for the final months of the war. A rather factual unemotional account.

The author's career and tall tales, mainly drawn from his war service in the RCN as a gunner's mate.

After training as a radio operator she learned Katakana and served as an interceptor operator. After the war she spent four years on Norwegian vessels.

Murray was responsible for directing the Canadian Atlantic war, but this book is mainly concerned with the VE Day riots in Halifax, for which he was made the scapegoat.

Memoirs of one of Canada's most distinguished naval officers from 1939 to the end of the Korean War. It traces his wartime career from the RCNVR to transfer to England in 1940, appointment as First Lieutenant of the trawler Berkshire then quickly to his own command of the trawler Kirkella, based in the Bristol Channel. In April 1941 he moved to the corvette Ranunculus, then building on the Clyde, but when she was handed over to the Free French he was given Stonecrop, which joined 37EG on the Gibraltar run. This was followed by command of Bazely, building in the US then fighting with 4EG in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Promotion in 1944 brought command of 6EGC and a continuation of the Atlantic War, until he commanded the last eastbound convoy. He finished the war ashore in Canada. The second volume, subtitled The Thunder and the Sunshine covers his post-war career.

In 1993 a one-day conference was held in Halifax to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. The recollections were all from the lower deck and there are some overview papers. This unvarnished oral history is arranged by ship type.

Interesting reminiscences collected long after the event in an effort to record a little-known aspect of the war.

He recalls his naval career from signing on in a former neighbourhood police station across the street from the Calgary Fair Grounds, to his discharge as a petty officer telegraphist at war's end. During the war, he was crewman in two auxiliary vessels, a Fairmile and four corvettes. Focuses on lower deck life.

Covers both World Wars. For WWII, looks at the careers of the 24 Canadian submariners who served with the RN.

Nine Canadians tell their stories of action and excitement.

Some 150 Canadians were sent to train in the UK at HMS Raleigh. They proved a brave and distinguished group.

Anecdotes recalled, vividly capturing life at sea.

A popular account of the role of Canadians in Coastal Forces and, more fully, the exploits of the two Canadian flotillas in the Channel and the Canadian-commanded flotilla in the Mediterranean. There is a full account of the tragic fire at Ostend in February 1945 which killed 73 and in which a dozen MTBs were lost.

An early work of analysis by the noted Canadian historian

A satisfyingly rich account of the development of the RCN. A second edition was published in 2010 (ISBN: 0802096042).

A well written account of the power struggle between the regular navy men and reservists which led to Admiral Nelles removal as head of the RCN in 1944.

He joined the RCN as a cadet in 1934. By 1939 he was serving on Restigouche but in summer 1940 joined Ottawa, which soon transferred to the UK. He was appointed to the 1941 Long Course at Excellent. After a period as Gunnery Officer at Halifax he was appointed First of the new Tribal Iroquois, which commissioned in November 1942. She was not a happy ship and famously mutinied in July 1943. After a busy time, in April 1944 he transferred to Ontario as Gunnery Officer, although she did not complete until 1945, when he was quickly recalled to Ottawa. An enjoyable and engaging account with some interesting perspectives.

A general history of the RCN which is profusely illustrated with contemporary art and photographs.

An illustrated guide to the semi-official and quite unofficial artwork of the RCN.

She was tragically lost when dragged on to rocks off Iceland in atrocious weather.

This volume consists of 27 of the 31 Niobe Newsletters published by the Navy Office of Canada in London between June 1942 and December 1944.

More transcribed oral history. This volume includes material on Fraser and Assiniboine, on Barham in 1939–40, on the sinking of Margaree, on life aboard Annapolis and Columbia, on MTBs in the Mediterranean, on Victorious in the later part of the war and a long section on merchant and naval prisoners of war.

This volume covers the same broad span of corvettes, destroyers, and AMCs; memories of the fall of France and the Dunkirk evacuation; Berwick in 1939–40; RCAF/RCN cooperation; naval intelligence, the WRCNS, and an LCI at Normandy. Very enjoyable.

A series of transcripts of reminiscences taped in the mess and covering all aspects of the sea war. A lovely dip with everything from essays to jokes. It covers Atlantic corvettes like Rimouski, training at King Alfred, patrols in Sealion and P 556, Spiteful in the Far East, DEMS, radar officer on Prince of Wales in the Bismarck chase and her own sinking in the Far East, Fairmiles off Halifax, minesweeping off Tobruk, the sinking of Coventry, MTBs in the North Sea and Mediterranean, the Fleet Air Arm on Unicorn, Striker, and Khedive.

Littler qualified as a Master Mariner in 1937 and his merchant career occupies the first half of this memoir. In 1940 he joined the RCNVR and in mid-1941 took command of the new corvette Brandon. After two arduous years in the Atlantic he moved to the sea training base at Pictou. In April 1944 he joined Belfast for D-Day then went as Navigating Officer to Uganda where he saw out the war before continuing a distinguished career in the RCN ending in 1962.

Layard was a complex character who led an RCN escort group although an RN officer. The diary is eloquent in its own right and is lightly edited and has good introductory essays. The diary covers the period 1943-45 when his group was active in the inshore waters of the UK.

Describes a distinguished career of 40 years in the RCN. In September 1939 he was in Halifax preparing the port for war, but by Christmas had been given command of Restigouche. In 1940 she was largely based in the UK and covered everything from anti-invasion duties to East Coast and Atlantic convoys, finishing up back in Halifax. After a refit it was back to the UK and more escort until in June 1941 he was appointed Director of the Operations Division in Ottawa. In October 1943 he took over as CO of Nabob and was with her until her near-fatal sinking 12 months later. Various staff appointments followed until the end of the war.

The author's usual very readable mix of history, anecdote and personal recollection looking principally at the Canadian contribution to Coastal Forces in the Channel and the Mediterranean.

An informal history of the RCN, with a ragbag of memories, facts and tall tales.

The war memoirs of a volunteer who became a career officer. He served in the Atlantic on Alaunia; on Oakville and Moosejaw in the North and South Atlantic and finally on Sioux. The story is well-told and rich with anecdote.

A newspaperman who served in corvettes uses a mixture of fact and personal recollection to describe life in the wartime RCN. A second edition was published by Stoddart in 2000.

Gives good detail of the operational history of Nabob and Puncher in a wider work.

The South African author served for 14 months on the cruiser Cornwall, mainly in the Indian Ocean, until her sinking. He then held various appointments in South African waters, all of which are described.

Continues his fictionalised autobiography with an account of recovery from wounds in a South African naval hospital, the work of the coastal minesweepers at Cape Town and a return to civilian life in the Diplomatic Service in 1945.

A factionalised account of the operations of the South African whalecatchers which operated in the Mediterranean.

First published as a newspaper article in the Week-end Argus. A light-hearted account of the dog from the Simonstown base. A revised and expanded version was published by Spectrum in 1968.

The dog which ran HMS Afrikander at Simonstown from 1939 to 1944.

Another light account of the much loved dog from Simonstown.

The Official History covering the Home Front and with much on the naval situation.

A booklet with postcard-size photographs of ships in some way connected with South Africa, with an accompanying page of text describing some notable event of the war. Covers not only warships and troopships but also merchantmen. Intended as the first of a series.

A limited edition of 1,000 copies lovingly recalling the work of this short-lived group who took over work which released men for sea service.

A popular and anecdotal series of tales of the South African Navy and of those South Africans who served with the RN. Covers everything from service on Arctic convoys to HMSAS Natal's U-boat sinking exploit.

A good general history with seventy pages on WWII.

An autobiography. He joined up as an Able Seaman in the Seaward Defence Force in mid-1940, working on the converted minesweepers protecting the Cape. After seventeen months of fruitless patrols he took a commission after training at "Copey's Castle". As the South African Forces expanded he rose rapidly through the ranks of the local minesweeping and escort forces. In mid-1943 he commissioned HDML 1202 used for anchorage patrol off Durban. He soon moved back to escort vessels, by 1944 with his own command of a converted whalecatcher, where he stayed until wars end. A fairly factual account of his war is enlivened with anecdotes and interwoven with a full history of submarine warfare in South African waters.

The little known maritime squadron of the SAAF operated crash boats recovering survivors of plane crashes, maritime disasters and sinkings. Has extensive coverage of their wartime record.

The book is in three chronological sections with one devoted to the WWII Navy, largely ex-trawlers and whalers. A well-illustrated and full account, with career details.

JOHNSON, Bill. The Prince Robert.22p. Sidney, B.C.: ViP Graphic Studio, 1988.

Prince Robert was a Canadian Pacific passenger ship converted as an A/A cruiser and seeing service in almost every theatre of conflict.

The book places on record the thanks of a representative 6,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen who benefited from the hospitality of the South African Womens' Auxiliary Services. Amongst other things contains a great deal of information on warships which called at South African ports and on the WS series of convoys. A limited edition of 700 copies.

A pamphlet reference work on the record of the South African Naval Force.

A pamphlet recording the wartime commission of HMS Good Hope, as an establishment for the promotion and training of temporary RNVR officers of the South African Naval Forces and those of other Dominion Navies. It has the flavour of a school magazine.

The story of the New Zealand based HDMLs. Although mainly concerned with their post-war careers, there is useful background on their acquisition and war service.

A comprehensive and detailed account of the New Zealand ships wherever they served and of events in New Zealand waters.

A brief, illustrated biography of the cruiser.

A history of New Zealand's Navy. WWII is largely avoided and left to the Official History. However, there is a large and interesting section on warships which had visited New Zealand, including those which paid visits during WWII.

Attempts to describe the lot of New Zealand's ordinary seamen serving in the Royal Navy and notably through the service of a dozen of them on the destroyer Isis.

Includes a fairly general section on the RNZN and hospital ships.

A semi-autobiographical novel. Spence volunteered in 1941 and uses fiction to describe his training, service in the Solomons and with the BPF on Victorious.

The life and times of a New Zealander serving on the destroyer Harvester.

Although the war is briefly covered there is interesting detail on the reserves and their activities.

MACPHERSON, Ken, & BURGESS, John. The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–1981: A Complete Pictorial History of Canadian Warships. 240p., bibliog., illus., index. Toronto: Collins, 1981. ISBN: 0002168561.

Arranged in three sections: pre-war, WWII, post-war. Within this framework the arrangement is by class, with a picture of at least the major vessels and potted biographies. Extensive appendices.   A second edition was published in 1985 (ISBN: 0002174693) and a third in 1993 (ISBN: 0920277918) . The fourth edition takes the story up to 2002 and was published by Vanwell (ISBN: 1551250721). Ron Barrie was co-author of this edition. 

PARRY, A. F. HMAS Yarra 1936–1942: The Story of a Gallant Sloop. [x], 92p., illus. Garden Island: Naval Historical Society of Australia, 1980. ISBN: 0909153078.

The author has re-presented his earlier work above, now with the benefit of hindsight and the official record and without wartime censorship.  Limited edition of 1,000 copies. A new edition with more images was published by the Society in 2020, ISBN: 9780648776.    

SUMMERRELL, Richard. The Sinking of HMAS Sydney: A Guide to Commonwealth Government Records (Guide 3). 190p. Canberra: Australian Archives, 1996. ISBN: 0642344124.

This Guide describes all Commonwealth government archival records that are known to exist on the loss of HMAS Sydney. As well as describing the records in the official record collections of the Australian Archives and the Australian War Memorial, the Guide describes those records still held by the Department of Defence and records held by the Australian War Memorial in privately donated collections. Contains original letters. Revised editions were published in 1997 and 1999 and it was made availanle on-line in 2010 https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-06/research-guide-the-sinking-of-hmas-sydney.pdf

NELSON, Annette. A History of HMAS Harman and Its People: 1943-1993. 40p., illus. Canberra: HMAS Harman, 1993.

The RAN Wireless/Transmitting Station, Canberra, began operations on April 20, 1939 and was commissioned in 1943. During WW2, the Canberra station provided communications services for ships and allied navies working in the Pacific theatre. It was staffed by members of the WRANS. An earlier anonymous edition with the same title was published in 1983, q.v. A second edition of this title was published in 2003, and a third edition in 2013 by the same author.

LAMB, James B. On the Triangle Run. xv, 237p., bibliog., illus. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1986. ISBN: 0771597460.

  Another varied and enthralling set of memories from an accomplished storyteller. A second edition was published by Stoddart in 2000, ISBN: 0773732551.

RICKARD, D.R. The Royal Australian Navy – The First 100 Years. A 365 Day Almanac of Notable Events. xiv, 140p., bibliog., illus., index. Brighton, SA: author, 2005. ISBN: 0646451162.

Follows the style of The Royal Navy Day By Day. Fact filled and interesting.

RUSSELL, E. C. HMCS Haida: a Brief History.56p., illus. Toronto: [n.p.], 1964.

An operational history, half of it describing WWII, of the destroyer which served with distinction for 20 years. A second edition of this leaflet was published in about 1997 with substantially the same text but different photographs.

VEALE, R.S. Autobiographical Recollections of a Naval Reserve Officer: 1893-1987. 158 p., bibliog., illus., index. [Melbourne : Navy League of Australia], 1997.

Limited edition of 100, hand numbered. There are chapters related to Veale and the Royal Australian Navy and reserves. From 1900, WW1, WW2, post war. A second edition was published in 2002, ISBN: 0958028567.

JACKSON, Ashley. War and Empire in Mauritius and the Indian Ocean (Studies in Military and Strategic History). xiv, 241p., bibliog., index. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001. ISBN: 0333968409.  

Reveals the depths of colonial involvement in the Second World War and the role of colonies in British strategic planning from the eighteenth century. In WW2 the Mauritian home front became regimented, troops were recruited for service overseas, the Eastern fleet guarded the Indian Ocean, and Mauritius became a base for SOE operations and intelligence-gathering for Bletchley.

JACKSON, Ashley. The British Empire and the Second World War. xvii, 604 p., bibliog., illus., index. London; New York: Hambledon Continuum 2006. ISBN: 1852854170.

An impressive and substantial study with much naval material. Notably well documented.

SPENCE, Daniel Owen. A History of the Royal Navy: Empire and Imperialism. xviii, 238p., bibliog., illus., index. London: I.B.Taurus, 2015. ISBN: 9781780765433.

An excellent potted history of some five hundred years of Empire. The section on WW2 has a good account of the little noted role of the colonial navies as well as the better known Dominion navies.

HARRIS, C. J. with WILLIAMS, R. Copey's Castle: The Story of (HM)SAS Unitie. viii, 209p., illus., index. Cape Town: Unitie Trust, 1996. ISBN: 0620195762.

A history of the naval training establishment opened in 1905 and nicknamed for its first Commander. It was completed by Williams after Harris's death.

HEAL, Syd C. A Great Fleet of Ships: the Canadian Forts and Parks. 312p. bibliog., illus., tipped in plan, index. St. Catharines, Ont.: Vanwell, 1999; Annapolis: NIP, 2000. ISBN: 1551250233.

Over 400 of these ships were built. This is a nostalgic but definitive memorial to them with details of their building, operations, and fate. Also contains many anecdotes.

EVANS, George H. Through the Corridors of Hell. 99p., illus. Antigonish, N.S.: Formac, 1980. ISBN: 0887800092.

A Newfoundlander in the Merchant Marine, including service in the Arctic. His ship was torpedoed in 1941 and he spent nine days in an open lifeboat and was hospitalized at Westmann Island, Iceland

A comprehensive guide to the ships of the RNZN. Includes leading details and brief career details.

WELLS, Herb. Under the White Ensign. 2 vols., St. John's, Nfld.: Robinson Blackmore, 1981-85.

A history of Newfoundland naval seamen in WWII. The second volume also covers the Korean War. They consist of a whole series of short anecdotes covering all theatres and ship types. It may have been self-published in 1977 and then reissued in two volumes in 1981-85.

DOUGLAS, W. A. B. ed. The RCN in Transition 1910–1985. 411p., illus. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1988. ISBN: 0774803126

A series of essays which looks at the development of the RCN from an Imperial relict to an ocean-going national force.

CANESSA, Eric. They Went to War.242p., bibliog., illus., index. [Gibraltar: author], 2004. ISBN: 0958300615.

The story of Gibraltarians who served in the armed forces away from their homeland. There are 92 short biographies of the individuals, a due proportion of whom served in the RN, Merchant Marine or the Royal Marines.

The Tools of War 1939/45 and a Chronology of Important Events. 255p., bibliog., illus., index. Montreal: Readers' Digest, 1969. ISBN: 088850148X.

A companion volume to The Canadians at War.

AUSTRALIA. Parliament. Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Report on the Loss of HMAS Sydney. xxvi, 192p. [Canberra]: The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1999. ISBN: 0642258724.

Yet another attempt to get at the truth of this disaster.

WORLEDGE, G. R. Contact! HMAS Rushcutter and Australia's Submarine Hunters 1939–1946. xxi, 490p., illus., index. Sydney: Anti-Submarine Officers' Association, 1994. ISBN: 064615446X.

A straightforward account of the setting up and running of the A/S Warfare School at Sydney, with appendices giving class lists, honours, and awards etc. Almost three-quarters of the book however is devoted to personal reminiscences of "graduates" who served widely in the RN and RAN.

Originally published as two articles in Stand To in 1957, this covers his service in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.

FIRKINS, Peter. Of Nautilus and Eagles: History of the Royal Australian Navy. viii, 269p., bibliog., illus., index. Stanmore, N.S.W.: Cassell Australia, 1975. ISBN: 0726928623.

A good general account by a professional historian and largely concerned with WWII. A revised second edition was published in 1983.             

COLLINS, D. J. E. The Royal Indian Navy 1939–45 (Official History of the Indian Armed Forces in the Second World War). xxiv, 385p., illus., index. Agra: Combined Inter-Services Historical Section (India & Pakistan), 1964.

The Indian Navy made a wider and larger contribution in several theatres than is often recognised. An excellent work.

FERGUSON, Julie H. Through a Canadian Periscope: The Story of the Canadian Submarine Service. 375p., bibliog., illus., index. Toronto: Dundurn, 1995. ISBN: 1550022172.

Canadian submariners served with distinction in all theatres and in all types of operation.

SHEEDY, Brian. The War at Sea. 371p., bibliog., illus., index.  Dromana, Vic.: B. Sheedy, [1998].   ISBN: 0646357239.

Life as a regular rating on the lower deck of the RAN in war and peace. The author was a signalman on Perth during operations in the Mediterranean in 1940-1941. The book consists very largely of his wartime diary.

TURNER, L. C. F., GORDON–CUMMING, H. R., & BETZLER, J. E. War in the Southern Oceans 1939–45.(Department of the Prime Minister: Union War Histories Section). xvi, 288p., bibliog., illus., index. Cape Town: OUP, 1961.

The official history of the war in South African waters. Covers all actions in the theatre and not just those of South African vessels.

There are only three well-illustrated pages on the Royal Indian Navy in this pamphlet, which is, however, included because of the paucity of information on that neglected service.

A comprehensive but informal history of the RNZAF in the Pacific, covering everything from seaplanes to land-based Corsairs.

Although basically the story of the New Zealand 3rd Division, the nature of the Pacific War meant the close involvement of the Navy.

The flying boat career of the author's father, especially the period 1940-1941, flying in the Mediterranean.

Cox joined up in 1943 aged 18 and paints a vivid picture of island-based fighter squadrons.

She was a beautiful Finnish windjammer seized as a prize in 1941 when Finland was formally declared an enemy state. Includes a voyage by voyage account of her subsequent career trading on the New Zealand–San Francisco Run.

Gives an account of the setting up of the Fleet Air Arm and of all New Zealand deaths in service with potted histories of the individuals., arranged chronologically. The vast majority dies in WW2, often in accidents.

Really an autobiography covering the author's service in the RIN from 1921 to 1948. During the war he created and commanded the Cochin Local Defence Flotilla, was Sea Transport Officer Bombay, then held more senior shore-based appointments.

The rather picaresque adventures of a ne'er-do-well who gravitated from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders to the Indian Army and thence to RIN Coastal Forces. He found an enjoyable role as an official photographer with the RIN and saw action on the field and in bed as the Japanese-conquered areas were liberated.

Despite the title, the vast bulk of the book is devoted to WWII, making this the most accessible if not the best written record of the RINs notable contribution to the war.

Three dozen short reminiscences cover all branches of the RIN and are especially strong on the support services.

A mixture of history, anecdote, biographies, and reminiscences.

Fairmiles and MTBs constituted the only naval ships in the Bay of Bengal at the end of 1942 and took part in every major landing and operation until they were amongst the first ships into Singapore in 1945.

Published as a supplement to the RIN Log, this is a tribute to the MLs of the Arakan Coastal Forces.

An autobiography. Has a short but interesting section on his war service, mainly in an Avenger Squadron

Records the work of 2,000 Canadian reservists who served with Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships. A curious mixture of reminiscence and handbook to DEMS operations and structure.

A somewhat dry but fascinating reference work which describes the ships, the weapons and the crews.

Some 50 accounts of the hardships of the merchant seaman's war from a cross-section of Canadian veterans.

Sixty accounts of Canadian registered ship losses grouped by company. Little tales of tragedy and heroism combine to form a moving testament.

The biography of Edward Leblanc, a Canadian Merchant Marine captain, by his daughter-in-law. A very small section covers his war service, much of it on the West Indies run, but also further afield, often as convoy commodore. He died within a week of war's end.

A personal memoir.

Covers both world wars and the huge industrial contribution made by the Fourth Service. Really a series of short essays rather than a coherent narrative.

Drawn from the unpublished memoirs of Trevor Whitla Bridges. Born in 1881, he became a Merchant Officer and retired between the wars. Recalled in 1940 to the Naval Control Service, he soon fell out with authority. After a political fight he was reinstated as Captain of the first of the Canadian-built North Sands Class in 1943 and sailed her round the Pacific for the rest of the war.

A reasonable history along with a personal memoir and some oral history accounts of life at sea.

An affectionate tribute.

Strictly RN but Canadian manned she was torpedoed off Norway in August 1944 and struggled back to the UK but was a constructive total loss.

A logbook-cum-picture book which includes newspaper cuttings and other contemporary accounts of this Canadian Tribal.

A full operational biography of the cruiser.

A compilation of his letters. Son of a distinguished New Zealander, he volunteered for special entry in 1939 and in 1941 volunteered for submarines. He was lost with Upholder. A clear view of the wartime world of a bright and cheery twenty year old.

A fairly bland autobiography which is a mixture of diary and reminiscence. A member of the RNZNVR, he was called up as a Petty Officer in 1939. He sailed for the UK and joined Alynbank for eighteen months of convoy work based at Scapa. A transfer to the new minesweeper Inchkeith brought a welcome change as she returned for service in New Zealand Waters. He quickly returned to the UK for training at King Alfred and spent the rest of the war in motor minesweepers in the Mediterranean.

A general conference but with good relevant papers on the merchant trade and naval intelligence.

Although this is a general history there is a rich seam of contemporary photographs and paintings by Colin C. Wynn, illustrating the war effort.

A well-illustrated popular history covering well-worn ground. One-third concerns WWII.

In the 35-year existence of the WRNZNS, only some 1655 women served, approximately 700 in WW2. Much of the book records their activities.

Extracts from the oral history records of the Royal New Zealand Navy Museum, illuminate a history of the RNZN at war.

Only the last four pages cover her wartime role.

The story of a gallant small minesweeper which helped sink a Japanese submarine but was sunk by a bomb at Tulagi in April 1943. An expanded second edition was published in 1993 under the title Big Bird, Little Ship.

The story of Leander told by a wireless operator who served on her. Although historically accurate, it is a very personal account.

After a very brief account of the first of name, the book focuses on the second of name and her wartime role as troopship and Armed Merchant Cruiser.

Robson was a much loved Armed Forces Chaplain who served at the Auckland base in WW2.

Naval Reservists, known as "Rockies" were at the core of the minesweeping effort which say the usual periods of action as well as spells of boredom.

Nineteen papers presented at a conference. Papers relevant to WWII range from the experiences of a midshipman serving on Prince of Wales up to the time of her sinking, an engineer's view of the RCN construction programme, a history of the three Princes used as AMCs, the RCN's quest for autonomy in the North West Atlantic, a review of the RCN role in the critical Atlantic battles of early 1943, an analysis of the role of the Royal Navy's Submarine Tracking Room, and the effect of intelligence on the battles around convoys SC42, SC107, and ONS5.

A biography of the cruiser which won fame at the River Plate, but also had a full war in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The author is a former crew member.

A comprehensive and very well written account which focuses on the Second World War.

Neptune had a busy war but was sunk in a Mediterranean minefield with heavy loss of New Zealand life in December 1941 before she could become the RNZN's promised fourth cruiser.

About half of the book gives a light-hearted account of his war. He joined the New Zealand Volunteer Reserve just after the war started. He was sent to England and trained at Ganges, joined Onslaught as a seaman for Russian convoy work, and was then commissioned. The tale continues with his role in the Normandy landings where he commanded an assault ship.

A routine brief retelling of the operational histories of Achilles, Gambia, Leander, and Neptune, all from secondary sources.

New Zealanders were amongst the naval personnel serving as gun crew on merchant shipping.

Describes three engagements between New Zealand warships and Japanese submarines, two resulting in the sinking of the submarines.

A straightforward pictorial record.

Describes their design and construction as well as operational history, including deployment in the Solomons. Includes plans of these Type B MLs 400–411

A thoroughly enjoyable memoir. He enlisted in the USN in 1939 and over the course of the war served in fifteen ships. There is an excellent account of his service in the corvette Moa in 1943 until her sinking, while he was acting as a liaison signaller.

An autobiography. His diary for 1940-42 is topped up by reminisces of his childhood and post-war career. He volunteered in 1940, trained in the UK and served mainly on Kipling at home and in the Mediterranean. In 1942 he was moved to work on food production since he had a degree in agriculture.

Much useful background on the war in the Pacific and on the loss of the Far East.

A useful general history, much of it devoted to WWII.

Shean joined the RANVR halfway through an engineering degree at the University of Western Australia. After training at HMAS Rushcutter in New South Wales he moved to the UK and 15 exciting months in Bluebell in the Battle of the Atlantic. He then switched to midget submarines where he had a distinguished career including attacks on the harbours of Bergen and Saigon. An excellent tale.

A career officer who served on the cruisers Australia, Canberra and Sydney.

Looks at seven stories of the bravery and determination of the RAN in the Pacific in WWII. They include the convoy escorts along Australia's east coast, where the first Australian ship to be sunk by an enemy submarine in Australian waters was lost.

A selection of seventy-six letters and cables home. He travelled to the UK in 1940 and after training served on Kashmir, Trinidad and Howe, surviving the sinking of the first two. In 1944 he returned to Australia serving on Orara then in a shore job. The letters are fresh and innocent and give a lively depiction of his world.

The biography of the naval officer who was the first to unravel Japanese naval telegraphy and break their codes. A fascinating tale.

Stening served in Waterhen in the Mediterranean but was captured when Perth was sunk in the Java Sea. He then looked after and led men in some eight POW camps before war's end..

A pot–pourri of tall tales and tragedies, mainly from WWII.

His edited wartime diaries. It begins in 1940 with his passage to Egypt to join Waterhen and covers her busy war until sunk in June 1941. He was then drafted to Nizam and saw more Mediterranean action before she moved east. In late 1942 he received a draft home and after leave joined the new Warramunga. After more hard service in the Pacific he was given a shore job at Milne Bay in the oiling party. At the end of 1944 he moved on to Oro Bay, now as a driver where he stayed until war's end. The final quarter of the book covers the Korean War.

Tales of the small ships of the RAN including anecdotes of trawlers, minesweepers, and corvettes. Two of the tales concern New Zealand corvettes and an Indian sloop.

A biographical account of the work of the WRANS.

A member of the Reserve, he was called up in 1939. His war began with Sydney then served on each of the Scrap Iron destroyers in the Mediterranean in the worst of the battles, before being sunk in Waterhen. He joined Perth briefly late in 1941, then went for officer training. Then he joined the corvette Echuca and in early 1943 the survey corvette Shepparton where his specialised survey skills kept him until war's end.

Based on the memories of those who served.

A personal memoir. No copy seen.

Stories of the little ships that carried war material from Australia to New Guinea, crewed by Australians but flying the American flag.

A brief account of raider and submarine action in the Bass Strait in two world wars.

The autobiography of a rebel. She had a brief sojourn in the navy, working with the fledgling Signals Intelligence organisation in Albert Park, before service with WAS(B) in Burma at the end of WW2. Several editions.

He was called up in August 1942 and after brief training went to Darwin where he equally briefly commanded a boom patrol boat. He spent the war in and around Darwin on a variety of local vessels and corvettes.

An autobiography. A narrative of almost nineteen years of service with the RAN and all but three at sea, which earned the author numerous decorations, among them the Atlantic Star, Africa Star, Burma Star with Pacific Clasp, the Greek Service Medal, 1942 Maltese Cross and 1942 Liberation of the Philippines.

Each of the major units of the ANZAC navies is represented in at least one of the tales, covering all theatres of the war. A second revised and enlarged edition was published in 1952.

A good account. The final third in effect looks at cruiser aircraft operations in WWII.

An autobiography. He joined up in 1942 and after brief service on Westralia was sent for amphibious landing training. In July 1943 he went on commando training as one of an elite force of 120 men. In January 1945 they went to war and he saw active service in the Dutch East Indies and Borneo as part of the Beach Party leading assaults.

A guide aimed at the American market, explaining Australia's role in the war. Naval exploits are mentioned as a small part of this.

The history of Australia's Naval Policy from 1939 to 1959, based on extensive original research.

A well-illustrated history of the women who served in the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service by a former Wran.

An autobiography. He joined up in 1941 and trained at Rushcutter. He served in small boats and Fairmiles in the South West Pacific. An enjoyable tale.

The autobiography of a merchant captain. A member of the Australian Naval Reserve, he was called up but drafted into the RAAF on secondment to teach navigation. In 1944 he was fully transferred to the RAAF and flew operationally in Catalinas. About one–quarter of the book is concerned with his wartime career. Reprinted by Rigby of Adelaide in 1978. ISBN: 0727005537.

A history of the RAN's Hydrographic service beginning with its establishment in Melbourne on 1st October 1920 up to 1995. It marks the Hydrographic Services 75th anniversary. The Principal Surveys are described year by year.

The author served as a telegraphist aboard the ship during her wartime commission. A very personal account.

Bundaberg was a convoy escort on the East Coast but then rotated between convoy work and service in the New Guinea area.

The author spent three years on Maryborough and this lower deck autobiography-cum-history records life on (and off) a hard-working ship which fought from the fall of Singapore through the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean and on to the defeat of Japan.

She was one of the "24" class corvettes and spent most of her war career as a survey ship, often near combat zones.

A detailed operational history with some information on each of the Australian corvettes - strictly Bathurst Class minesweepers.

Her tragic six-month career is seen from three very different perspectives. Second edition was published in 2000.

Another view of these hard worked small ships. She saw service in the fall of the Far East and after service in Australian waters worked in forward areas. No copy seen.

The RAN built fifty-six corvettes. Some thirty-nine of these passed through Fremantle where they were photographed by the local newspaper. This is a compilation of these pictures and a variety of anecdotes.

Another ship history in fairly detailed chronological diary format. Ipswich had a busy war ranging from the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf to the BPF..

Personal reminiscences

The career of another corvette which saw hard and bitter fighting in the first two years of her life. A revised and expanded edition of 245 pages covering 1941-1948 was published in 2001 (ISBN: 0958527741).

A former AB on Bendigo, Wally Eves, has assembled over 50 reminiscences into a diary-cum-logbook of her career. This included the loss of Singapore and support for the army in New Guinea. Includes a good contemporary diary of this Bathurst Class "corvette."

Completed late in 1942 Pirie began her career as an escort on the New Guinea Run, seeing action which required a major refit. Later she joined the BPF and was in Tokyo Bay for the surrender.

The 18 ships of the 21st and 22nd Minesweeping Flotillas spent much of 1944 and 1945 escorting the Fleet Train. The former First Lieutenant of Tamworth describes their role.

The autobiography of a Tasmanian who is described as "unusual and complex". There is good coverage of his war service, both on shore and on the corvette Junee. A revised and expanded second edition was published in 2006 (ISBN: 1921206411).

A mixture of autobiography and history as seen from the lower deck. Stawell saw a busy war as an escort and supporting army landings.

A sort of memento book of her war in Australian waters, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean.

HMAS Horsham had a quiet war. Completed late in 1942 she served in the Fremantle Command as an A/S vessel then in August 1944 moved to Darwin as a survey vessel. Still a good memoir.

An account by her former crew.

This biography of Commander Rupert 'Cocky' Long also presents a history of Australia's Naval Intelligence Division, of which Long was the head for twelve years. Describes secret WWII operations, inter-service rivalry, international intrigues, the dramatic activities of the Allied Intelligence Bureau (founded by Long) in the Pacific during WWII, and the setting up of the coastwatcher network in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Really a photo album, which includes details of the service of many minor vessels such as the Manly ferry Burra Bra.

A curious mixture of official documents, technical descriptions, personal reminiscence, and attacks on Prime Minister Menzies.

Radio talks and stories describing life in the Australian Navy.

About one-third of this excellent history is devoted to the RAN.

Focuses on the individuals.

The proceedings of a fiftieth anniversary conference bringing together some well-known names to take a new look at such topics as the social background of RAN officers, the RAN Hydrographic Branch, the role of Fairmiles, Vice Admiral Collins, the Battle of Savo, etc.

An assessment of the impact of the submarine threat on maritime defence and policy and on the RAN's effectiveness in dealing with trade defence.

A diary of his war service. He enlisted in the RAAF in 1941 and after training in Australia flew Catalinas in the South West Pacific area from Java to New Caledonia.

A pictorial history of the Royal Australian Navy during World War Two. The book is presented in a six year chronological format. It describes the various ships, naval actions and incidents, war losses, aviation activities and the introduction of new and unusual warships into the Australian Fleet between September 1939 and September 1945.

A heavily illustrated reference guide to the aircraft, with some operational information.

Identifies 1,800 Australian prisoners of war and internees lost at sea while being transported to Japan. The story of the various tragedies is largely told in the words of the survivors.

A good reference work.

The Royal Australian Engineers provided logistical support through water transport operating companies using landing craft.

Aimed at younger readers it covers the war of No. 10 Squadron flying Sunderlands and has an interesting account of the battle between U 461 and Sunderland U/461.

The author was a Flight Engineer based at Port Moresby with the Catalinas of 11 and 20 Squadrons. They fought and flew throughout the South West Pacific Theatre until most of the crews were withdrawn in March 1943. A second revised edition was published in the same year.

The logistics of the Papua New Guinea Campaign.

Has little to say on the Allied contribution to the war at sea, but has good accounts of the antisubmarine defence of Australia.

A personal history of the RAAF Catalina flying boats based in Cairns, Karumba, Darwin and Melville Bay during World War II, and the men who flew and looked after them.

When war began he applied to join the RAAF. He trained as a Wireless Air Gunner and was soon on his way, via the Panama Canal and America, to join the air war over Britain. After a prolonged operational tour in 10 Squadron Sunderland Flying Boats - much of it spent tracking and attacking German U-boats off the Biscay coast of France, he eventually looked to home and the Pacific War.

A very personal mix of poetry, cartoons and anecdotes describing his service in the Australian Water Transport Unit.

Australian crewmen were a significant presence in Coastal.

A tribute to the RAN, half formal history, half school magazine.

Extracts from the Air Vice-Marshal's diary and letters. He commanded No. 9 Operational Group in the South West Pacific area.

A Merchant Navy autobiography.

455 was the only RAAF strike squadron to fly with Coastal Command. In the last 18 months of the war it flew Beaufighter strikes against coastal shipping.

Mainly concerned with the stemming of the Japanese tide. Good background on the loss of Empire with full accounts of the sinking of Force Z and the raids on Darwin.

A collection of anecdotes and recollections of the RAAF Catalina squadrons.

Memories of this far-flung Australian Base. A second edition appeared in 1986.

Published in a limited edition of 750 copies it describes the training of RAN personnel.

A merchant autobiography. He joined the Australian merchant marine in 1941 and worked mainly in the Pacific. In March 1945 he served on Corinda in the British Pacific Fleet Train.

The Squadron formed in Britain in 1942 on Anzac Day (April 25) and flew Sunderlands in the Battle of the Atlantic. Written by an officer specialising in maritime reconnaissance and strongly based on original records and correspondence with squadron members.

A useful guide. There are several line diagrams of the various watercraft. Many of these ships were operated by the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE).

This book covers some of the activities of maritime units in World War I, World War II, Japan, Korea, post-war A.R.A., post-war C.M.F., Vietnam, The Antarctic, the present day army and a brief look at the Gulf War of 199.1

An unofficial history of the Maritime Unit of the Australian Army.

The collected writings of an ex-Chief Petty Officer. Some are personal tales, some record Australian heroism on land and sea in both world wars, some describe historical events such as the Spud Run to Tobruk.

This work covers the naval forces of Australia and New Zealand for the period 1914-1945.It is illustrated by more than 600 photographs and 100 line drawings, accompanied by introductions, brief narratives, historical resumes and appendices. Reprinted by Golden in 1987.

The excellent official history. Reprinted in 1985.

A family memoir covering three generations. Her father was sunk on Perth then was a prisoner of the Japanese.

A disappointing memoir of a distinguished career. He began the war as Navigating Officer of Edinburgh in home waters. In April 1940 he moved to Renown for a month, then via the training school Dryad to Rodney and Nelson based at Scapa. There were 10 months of Atlantic convoys, the Bismarck hunt and Mediterranean convoys with Force H, then the Home Fleet. In 1942 he returned to Australia and joined Australia as a Staff Officer to Admiral Crace with TF44, operating in the Solomons and New Guinea area. In August 1943 she was redeployed to the Southwest Pacific as part of TF74. In late 1944 he was appointed to the Australian Naval Staff for post-war planning.

Papers from the 1989 Australian Naval History Seminar. Those on WWII cover carrier policy, the historiography of HMAS Sydney, the Savo Sea Battle, British strategy against Japan, technology transfer, and a biography of Admiral Farncomb.

Since 1916 there have been more mutinies in the Royal Australian Navy than in any other navy maintained by an English speaking nation. New Zealand's navy, by contrast, has suffered only one mutiny, although it was one of the largest to occur in recent naval history. This is the first comprehensive study of naval insurrections in these two countries. Drawing on original records, private correspondence, newspaper reports and interviews with men accused of mutiny, it examines when and why such outbreaks occur.

Although this covers a much wider time period, there is a significant focus on the events of WW2.

Autobiography of service in the South Pacific. No copy seen.

A fact rich but rather incoherent account of their service.

A well-illustrated but routine general history.

A light-hearted autobiography recounting his war service. He joined up as a seaman in 1944 and served in the Pacific on Nizam and Quadrant.

A biography of Sheila McClemans who was a pioneer legal practitioner in Western Australia. She served as the wartime Director of the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service and was President of the Australian Federation of University Women. Her wartime service is fully described.

The WRANS only formed in 1941, but rose to a strength of 3,000 and proved just as valuable as their British sister WRNS. This book was written about 1947, but first published by the Society in 1975.

Wagga served actively in New Guinea waters.

A weakly written account of his service, principally on Manoora. He had earlier served in the Merchant Marine and RANVR. In early 1944 he was transferred to the RAN Beach Commando Force A.

A curious short tribute illustrated with a few photographs, pictures of stamps, stained glass windows, and ships crests.

Almost half of the book is devoted to Admiral Collins wartime service and as his subtitle suggests he is more interested in memories than detailed history. During the war he was Captain of Sydney (1939–41), Assistant Chief of Staff to C-in-C China at Singapore then Java (1941–42), NOIC Western Australia (1942–43), and finally captain of Shropshire, latterly commanding TF74 of the American 7th Fleet (1943–45). An enjoyable book.

Choules was the last serviceman survivor of the First World War. He served in the RAN in WW2. Based at Fremantle as a CPO, he was responsible for much of the maintenance of the torpedoes, depth charges, mines and mine detection equipment of these vessels. It was also his job, too, to "de-louse" or otherwise dispose of the various stray mines and depth charges that washed up on Western Australia's extensive coast.

A curiosity of affection and anecdote.

A comprehensive listing of ships and men lost while serving in the RAN in the twentieth century. The book is in two sections, covering ships lost and ships damaged and/or with casualties. In each section there is a photograph of the vessel, leading details, a brief history of the ship and details of her loss or action damage. Casualties whether in action or accidental, commanding officers and battle honours are fully listed. An excellent work of reference.

In 1939–40 he was Australian Director of Operations and Plans. After a short spell in Washington as Naval Attaché, he took command of the new destroyer Norman. She worked up at Scapa, had a brief trip to Russia, then joined the Eastern Fleet at the beginning of 1942. She was at Madagascar, took part in the Vigorous convoy to Malta, then rejoined the Eastern Fleet. In June 1943 he was relieved, had a spell in hospital, then went back to a planning role. Just before the end of the war he took command of the new Tribal Class destroyer Bataan.

A professional musician, he joined up in 1940 as a bandsman and served in Canberra Australia and Shropshire, working in the Transmitting Station. A brief autobiographical account.

A newspaper reporter's lurid account of war on Australia's east coast. Much anti-Japanese propaganda.

The final anthology mixing history, art and storytelling.

The usual mixture of poems, pictures, and stories describing another year of war.

An official view of recent events, followed by anecdotes, poems, cartoons, and reports from serving members of the RAN.

A souvenir magazine for the crew of Westralia, covering her service from May 1943 to the end of the war.

The tale of the landings is tied together by the story of the LSI Westralia which assisted landings from New Britain to Balikpapan.

She was taken up for local duties and performed antisubmarine patrols in Sydney Harbour, acted as a local escort and finally was used as a training ship.

Used in an escape from Singapore, Krait returned for a daring raid on the harbour in 1943. She was based on Darwin and used for special operations for the rest of the war. After a chequered career she is now in the Australian Maritime Museum. This book seeks the truth lying under the many myths, lies, and tall tales.

More on her wartime career.

A history of her wartime career.

The story of the little ships of the RAN - the Naval Auxiliary Patrol and the Fairmiles.

Manoora was one of the three ships commissioned into the Navy in 1939 as armed merchant ships, and then converted to Assault Ships in 1942/4, with the landing craft and specially trained landing craft crew. Includes list of AIF, navy and RAAF and peace time personnel.

A curious mixture of reminiscence, copied documents, and particulars of vessels which opens up a neglected area from boom defence vessels to tugs to special forces.

A mix of reconstructed history, memories, and lists of ships and personnel reconstructs a small but forgotten part of the war, but one which sustained the important New Guinea Campaign. A second edition was published in 2004 as Forgotten Fleet 2. ISBN: (0975168304).

The story of an Armed Merchant Cruiser on the China Station and in the Indian Ocean.

The first volume covers design and operations, the second reminiscences. The author died before the work was completed and Richard Thompson completed the second volume. A substantial work on a little known area.

The story of Manoora's service in the period after her conversion from an Armed Merchant Cruiser to an LSI in 1944–45.

A rare personal memoir of the 1945 mission of the Lady Yetive (AK127), one of the Australian Water Transport Small Ships, to bring back to the War Cemetery at Port Darwin twenty bodies of R.A.A.F. airmen who died when their planes crashed on islands off the North Australian coast. First published in a limited edition of 75 copies.

A whole series of vignettes and human interest stories

The Q Class destroyers Quiberon and Quickmatch were commissioned into the RAN, while Quality, Quadrant and Queenborough served with the BPF and transferred to the RAN at war's end.

The story of Yarra's last battle and a gallant sailor who fought for his ship until the end.

Nizam spent the early part of her service in the Atlantic, then went to the Mediterranean, where she was involved in the Crete and Syria-Lebanon Campaigns, the Tobruk Ferry Service, and the Malta Convoys. During 1942, she took part in Operation Vigorous and the Madagascar Campaign. The next year saw her involved in patrols of the Indian and South Atlantic, searching for German vessels, and rescuing the survivors of U-boat attacks. After returning to Australia for a refit at the end of 1944, ten sailors were washed overboard in January 1945, with none seen again. The rest of World War II was spent operating in the Philippines and New Guinea regions.

A complete but censored account of the career of this hard-worked sloop, which served from Tobruk to Singapore before being sunk by the Japanese early in 1942. The author served on her as a Leading Seaman until just two weeks before her sinking.

Diamantina is Australia's largest World War II survivor and the last of over 200 River class and variant frigates the Allies built during that conflict. Built in Queensland, HMAS Diamantina went to war at Bougainville in 1945, and was later to become the venue for the Japanese surrenders at Nauru and Ocean Island. Decommissioned in 1980, she is now a major attraction at Queensland's Maritime Museum on the Brisbane River.

A very readable account of their wartime and post-war careers. They served in the Pacific, very often with American forces.

The story of the Australian V&Ws at war in the Mediterranean.

A history of this sloop-frigate of the Royal Australian Navy. This ship took part in landings on hostile shores and gained many battle honours, including Sunda Straits, New Guinea, Halmaheras, Philippines and Borneo.

The career of the Australian frigate. Completed early in 1944, she was active off the coast of New Guinea, at Tarakan, and supported the AIF landings on Borneo in 1945.

Experiences of an Australian petty officer on an N Class destroyer in the Indian Ocean and Pacific. From these experiences the author presents a composite picture of characters and incidents.

The story of the Australian V & W's, which won undying fame as the "Wobbly 10th" DF in the Mediterranean in 1940–41. The full wartime career of each ship is described in detail.

The first full account of these busy destroyers lent to the RAN. A second edition was published in 1974.

The author held a variety of regimental and staff appointments in the Canadian Army. He gives some background to the various assault landings in Europe.

A chronologically arranged set of old tales and anecdotes well-told, from WWI to Korea.

An autobiography. After training as a radio technician in Canada he joined the RCNVR in 1942, then had a variety of local roles he joined Assiniboine in January 1943. After a year of Atlantic duties he trained further in radar operation and joined a Fairmile. Late in 1944 he was selected for officer training in Canada and early in 1945 joined the frigate Royalmount as torpedo officer.

A proud, patriotic, and censored account of the rise of the RCN as an Atlantic power.

An illustrated guide to unit badges and the history of the units themselves. Includes a section on maritime air squadrons.

The centennial history of the Coast Guard. The section on WWII is small and largely concerned with the transfer of the icebreaker Montcalm to Russia.

A propaganda pamphlet praising the work of the RCN.

The club in St. John's where escort officers took their ease.

The first volume is an essay by Stephen Leacock on Canada and the sea, while the second, by Leslie Roberts, reviews the RCN at war with additional chapters on the merchant marine and the shipyards.

A well written local history full of memoirs of Albertans and with some comment both on the Dieppe and the Battle of the Atlantic.

Although really the history of post-war Canadian naval aviation, this has much wartime material as background to the main theme.

The story of the First Canadian Army told for an American audience. It covers the landings at Dieppe, Sicily, Italy, and Normandy.

A detailed look at the Marine Branch at war. A second volume covers the post-war period.

Mainly concerned with Newfoundland's Royal Artillery Regiments. However a large section looks at those who served in the Navy and in the Merchant Marine, notably in the Atlantic.

A heavily illustrated set of ships biographies.

The pleasant memoir of a Canadian naval meteorologist who joined up in 1942. The bulk of the book is an evocative recollection of London in 1944 when he was wounded in a V-1 attack while training at Greenwich.

Some of the squadrons were involved in anti–submarine and other naval related duties in WWII.

This volume covers the RCAF squadrons and personnel serving overseas. An excellent piece of writing and research.

A rather rambling autobiography of the actor and host of the gameshow Opportunity Knocks. He joined the RCAF in 1941 and flew flying boats with 117 Squadron based in Nova Scotia. In late 1943 he joined 45 Group RAF Ferry Command and undertook huge and lengthy flights to deliver planes where they were needed. Has a very small amount on A/S patrols in the Atlantic.

Oral history, with a chapter on the RCN. Fairly anodyne.

An almost entirely pictorial history of the waterborne aircraft from Stranraers to Swordfish, with a strong emphasis on WWII.

The first volume looks at individual actions and campaigns, while the second reviews specific diseases. Naval medicine is mentioned in passing throughout the work. A little plodding but very full.

An excellent guide to the Canadian primary sources.

A popular and heavily illustrated critical view which pays some attention to the Canadian contribution to the war at sea.

This volume covers the years 1918–1945 and is much concerned with the role of the RCAF in the defence of Canada and in particular antisubmarine warfare.

This full history gives accounts of those occasions when the operations of Army and Navy combined.

A personal account of operations in Hudsons off the Dutch and German coasts.

Yet another attempt to solve the mystery. Focuses on meteorological data, tides and currents.

Loxton was a midshipman on Canberra when she was sunk at Savo. A thorough review of the evidence casts doubt on previous findings and myths and suggests Canberra was sunk by "friendly fire." Excellent research. A second edition was published in 1997 (ISBN: 1864482869).

A brief review of the battle, which raises the issue of whether she was hit by "friendly fire."

A logbook-cum-diary which concentrates on her war career. At least two further editions had been published by 1979.

Hore goes back to the archives and the original documents to provide probably the definitive account of the action. Partly as a result of his work the wrecks of Kormoran and Sydney have been discovered and the veracity of contemporary German accounts confirmed.

A thorough formal report on the records which exist.

Another and scholarly attempt to solve the mystery of Sydney's fate. He produces a damning account of other conspiracy theorists and settles for the most plausible explanation of a tragic ship to ship action. A new paperback edition was published in 1998 in which the author has a substantial new preface which responds to later research and to comment on the first edition.

Really a set of raw materials for a lecture. Contains track charts, lists of ships and men, ship plans, and chronologies.

Canberra was sunk while covering the Guadalcanal landings as part of a joint Allied but largely US force.

The fascinating story of W.E.A Freer, Able Seaman and Gunner on HMAS Sydney (II), based on his letters home to family.

After successful service in the Mediterranean, Sydney was sunk in action with the raider Kormoran. This operational history concentrates on her service in WWII.

The author set himself the difficult task of tracing most of the key German survivors of the famous sea battle, who were scattered all over the world. He was strongly criticised at the time for approaching the Kormoran survivors to document their reminiscences because, as one critic put it: "Why ask them anything about it? They are only going to give you lies." Years later, once the Sydney-Kormoran wrecks were discovered in the depths of the Indian Ocean, and interest was revived, the author's research was proven to be invaluable.

A comprehensive account.

The story of the attempts to survey Perth and USS Houston and to recover memorabilia. Casts some light on the sinkings and their aftermath.

Since it was last sighted just before Christmas 1941 following a battle with a German raider, the fate of the Sydney has been Australia's most enduring maritime mystery. Then on 16 March 2008 her wreckage was discovered. This beautifully illustrated and concise book tells the remarkable story of the life, tragic loss and the rediscovery of the Sydney.

He went to war with Perth in 1940 and survived her sinking and Japanese POW camps.

An analysis of a Carley float shows that the case for it being from Sydney is not proven.

A history of the cruiser transferred to the RAN to replace Sydney.

A pamphlet with a miscellany of contemporary photographs, reminiscences, and current views on the tragic loss of the cruiser.

Kapunda was one of the so-called corvettes. This is a souvenir volume aimed at ex-crew members, which gives a good feel of small ship life, with a mixture of reminiscences, copies of the ship's newspaper, letters of proceedings, sports results, crew lists, diary excerpts, and so on. She had a busy war, including hosting the formal surrender of Japanese forces in Borneo.

Active war service included convoy escort duties between Australia and Noumea, east coast convoys, minesweeping and anti-submarine patrols around New Guinea, Borneo and China. The Mildura was the first allied ship to enter Hong Kong.

After taking part in the evacuation of the Far East and a lengthy refit she served in the New Guinea area. No copy seen.

Armidale had a brief career of six months before being sunk by Japanese planes in a botched operation to help evacuate Timor. The bravery and suffering of her crew went largely unremarked in the larger tragedy of the Japanese invasion, until in 1990 one of the new class of Australian submarines was named after an Ordinary Seaman who died in the action. A sad and bitter little tale.

The author served on corvettes and attempts a mixture of fact and recollection to cover their service in the RAN.

She was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy.

Completed late in 1942 she saw action on the New Guinea run then was based at Darwin in support of Thursday Island. In June 1944 she moved to Port Moresby for convoy work.

Tamworth served with the Eastern Fleet and the BPF.

An early attempt to describe her career and tragic fate.

The story of the 12 River and Modified River class frigates built for the RAN between 1st July 1942 and 1st May 1946. Gives a broad overview of the service of these ships and outlines the ships' stories.

The son of a crew member produces what is effectively a logbook of her wartime career.

The story of the author's service and of the ship from 1939 until July 1941. Stuart was flotilla leader of the Australian V&W Class destroyers which served in the Mediterranean in that period. Much has been omitted "for security reasons."

The Captain of Voyager was blamed for her grounding and subsequent loss, but this review of the circumstances exonerates him.

Provides detailed information on the origin of the ship names, comprehensive histories and technical data. Service history and battles of the ships. Full lists of commanding officers, recently updated casualty lists and battle honours.

Yet another attempt to set the record straight. Good research in the relatively recently opened archives tends to support the official view of the tragic sinking.

The author's father was a Petty Officer in Perth, lost when she was sunk in 1942. This attempt at a definitive history of the ship is in part based on his surviving wartime diary.

One survivor's story of his escape from the sinking of HMAS Perth, evasion of the enemy in Java and survival until eventual capture. The book is not cross-referenced and is highly subjective.

A cheaply produced but useful account of the main events in her career.

A good history which focuses on the crew and has a very substantial section on their experience as POWs.

A biographical dictionary of the lost crew members full of family reminiscences.

Another attempt to explain the career and enduring mystery end of the cruiser. An exciting popularised account.

From coded transmissions, personal accounts, forensic evidence and records of naval movements, Samuels reconstructs the grim events of 19 November 1941 when the Sydney was destroyed by the Kormoran. His investigations claim to expose top level manipulation in Washington and London to bring Japan and America into war.

A fully illustrated company history describing the docks and their wartime work with merchant and naval building and repairs.

An early account of her career and last gallant fight by a crew member.

Sets out successfully to expand and replace Payne's earlier history with new material and new research. The author is a former CO of the cruiser's namesake Perth II.

After much hard service in the Mediterranean she was overwhelmed in gallant action against the Japanese. Limited edition of 1,000 copies. Reprinted in 1998 in A4 format with additional illustrations.

Canberra was sunk in the Battle of Savo Island after much hard wartime service, as described in this biography of the ship. Limited edition of 1,000 copies. A second edition was published in 1991 (ISBN: 0959977236).

Australia had a notable fighting record, especially in the Pacific war and this is fully recorded. Limited edition of 1,000 copies. A second edition was published in 1988 (ISBN: 0959977252).

Possibly the most exhaustive survey of the evidence. A revised edition was published in 2002. ISBN: 1591140668.

Yet another attempt to unravel the mystery.

Attempts to ascertain the possible and probable causes of the mysterious loss of HMAS Sydney in 1941.

A former AB of her crew gives a full and detailed account of her career in the RAN, where she saw very active service in the Pacific.

Covers a period of tumultuous action in the Med.

The author, whose father was Navigator when Sydney was lost, delves deeply into the fog of war to find a large number of unanswered questions. He then selectively uses evidence to develop a hypothesis involving a Japanese submarine in the sinking. Interesting research but shaky conclusions.

Another conspiracy theorist makes the well-argued case against the official view. Stronger on speculation than fact.