Author(s): Brian Lavery

Military History

During World War Two the Royal Navy had to expand more than sevenfold to counter numerous threats across the globe. To find officers for this force it had to move well outside its normal supply of boys trained from the age of 13. As a result yachtsmen were recruited and sent to sea, along with possible officers who served first as ordinary seamen. Selected men were then sent to officer training in Brighton for three months and, if they were to serve on convoy escort, to the Western Isles. Brian Lavery looks at the social background of British wartime naval recruits, training methods, the personal experiences of those involved and what they had to learn to become an officer of the watch on the bridge of a warship, or even the captain of a landing craft attacking the beaches of Normandy, Italy and North Africa. The book draws widely from personal experiences of those who served and presents a rich collection of wry quotes and anecdotes from famous names such as Alec Guinness, Evelyn Waugh, Nicholas Monsarrat and George Melly. It is an illuminating study which has much to say on seamanship, naval technology, leadership and organization.