Mosquito Intruder Pilot

Mosquito Intruder Pilot written by Jeremy Walsh and published by 
Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 248

Ben Walsh lied about his age to join the RAF, determined to play his part in the Second World War. He volunteered to be an intruder pilot, flying low level operations in the dark. Initially flying ops in Douglas Boston Intruder IIs, he then converted to the legendary de Havilland Mosquito FB VI. Ben flew ops for three years, starting in the skies over with Europe with 418 (RCAF) Squadron, then ferrying one of the first Mosquito FB VIs to India before flying in the Burma campaign with 27 Squadron (under Wing Commander Nicolson VC) and finally with 45 Squadron.

The Mosquito developed problems in the severe climate it encountered in the Far East which resulted in the aircraft being temporarily grounded in November 1944. This saw Ben undertaking thirteen operational sorties in venerable Tiger Moths in the Arakan.

Although Ben survived belly landings, crashes, enemy fire and engine failures, the strain of combat operations took its toll on the still-young pilot. He and his navigator asked to be removed from operations, but their request was denied, both being threatened with court martial.

By the end of the war when still only 21 years old, Ben was suffering from a nervous condition known as ‘the twitch’. His confidence and health were restored by the young woman who had been his penfriend through the war, who became his wife and the mother of the man who has compiled this dramatic and moving story – Jeremy Walsh.

Throughout the war, Ben maintained a ‘Roll of Honour’ in his photograph album, memorializing his friends and colleagues who lost their lives. That album forms the backdrop to this important biography, which is based on Ben’s own recollections, his logbook and the notes he kept through the war. Mosquito Intruder Pilot is Ben’s story.

I have to say this book was interesting and in places very moving about a very young pilot in the RAF, Ben Walsh who joined up early because of the excitement of youth and wanting to play his part for his country. Ben was a kind of jack of all pilots, being able to fly quite prolifically a number of planes such as the De Haviland Mosquito, the Douglas Boston Intruder and even such planes as Tiger Moths. As with any young man he had eagerness and strength, but also being young, he was worked hard as a pilot and after a while developed some mental health problems which back in those days weren’t really acknowledged or even recognised properly. 

But the uplifting part of this book is that he eventually got through these with the help of a young woman who later became his wife, and what is even better as a result along came his son who would write this book and tell his father’s stories. Using diaries, chats,  information and logbooks Jeremy has written this book, and I think has done a great job of telling the story and you can tell the research and thought has gone into this book. An excellent read and I love these books where you get the actual story from someone in the know. Excellent adventures, photographs and very well told, I would recommend this book.

Great Naval Battles of the Pacific War

Great Naval Battles of the Pacific War compiled by John Grehan and published

by Frontline Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 296

The key naval battles against Imperial Japan in the Pacific during the Second World War have

been described many times by numerous diligent and skilful historians. Such histories

are, of course, the products of many years, even decades, of accumulated knowledge,

but also of a received consensus of how the war played out to its, seemingly, inevitable

conclusion. That of course is not how it was perceived at the time. Hindsight, as we know,

gives us 20/20 vision. The accounts here, compiled for and on behalf of the Admiralty,

were written either during or immediately after the end of the war before historians had

begun to give their assessments of these momentous events.

These accounts were written for internal consumption, to guide and instruct naval officers. It was never intended that they would be released to the general public. As such, there was no jingoistic drum beating, no axes to grind, no new angles to try and find. The authors of these accounts relate each battle, move by move, as they unfolded, accurately and dispassionately.

This makes these accounts so invaluable. They read almost like a running commentary, as action follows action, minute follows minute. This sensation is magnified by the absolute impartiality of the authors, their sole attempt being to provide a thorough but very clear and comprehensible record so that others in the future could understand precisely how each battle was fought.

These accounts can never be superseded and never replaced. Written by naval officers of the time for naval officers of the future, they are the permanent record of the great victories, and the sobering defeat in the Java Sea, during the struggle for control of the Pacific which, for many months, hung precariously in the balance.

This book is a very formal book really to read, mainly because it wasn’t aimed at the general public consumption, they were written by naval officials for naval officials. The book covers official reports on the Midway, Coral Sea, Java Sea, Guadal Canal and the Leyte Gulf the key battles in the naval war of the Far East. Although the reports throughout the book are official ones, they are really good, detailed and comprehensive as you would expect. Some of them are a little dry, but then that is what you would expect. This has been a really good book to read and I have enjoyed the formal approach to normal as a change.

Naval Battles of the Second World War II

Naval Battles of the Second World War written by Leo Marriott and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 240

The Second World War was a truly global conflict and maritime power played a major role in every theatre of operations. Land campaigns depended on supplies transported by sea, and victory or defeat depended on the outcome of naval battles. So Leo Marriott’s highly illustrated two-volume account of the struggle sets naval actions in the wider strategic context as well as giving graphic accounts of what happened in each engagement.

This second volume concentrates on the epic struggle between the Americans and the Japanese in the vast expanses of the Pacific where for almost four years a great maritime campaign ebbed and flowed and some of the most famous naval battles of the conflict took place. The first part of the book covers the period from Pearl Harbor to Midway while the second covers the long and bloody campaign in the south-west Pacific where the US Navy honed its skills and turned a bloody defeat into a hard-won victory. The final section focuses on naval operations during the American advance across the central Pacific up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf – the greatest naval battle ever fought. Included are other actions involving the Royal Navy which, after early setbacks, would go on to play a major supporting role alongside the US Navy in the Pacific

This concise but wide-ranging introduction to the naval war emphasizes the sheer scale of the conflict in every sea and shows the direct impact of each naval battle on the course of the war.

This book is the second book of two called, Naval Battles of the Second World War in the second of two books looking at the Pacific & Far East of World War II the book gives you a view of the strategic naval process and battles including the role of the American Navy and the Japanese Navy. The book highlights a number of key naval battles throughout the war including Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway and the battle in the Leyte Gulf, I personally found this a fascinating book as I am trying to improve my knowledge of naval warfare. Both in the west and the Far East I found the book very informative and detailed but then I am probably counted as a beginner in this subject so whilst I found the book very helpful and informative others might prefer to read a more detailed assessment as they are classed as more knowledgeable. With the author Leo Marriott a specialist in this subject, his highly detailed knowledge is evident in this book and makes for a very good read. I enjoyed all the facts and details along with many good photographs and I especially enjoyed the appendix at the back of the book listing all the warships involved I would recommend this book and enjoyed it slightly more than the first but only because I knew less about the Pacific war.

More Lives Than a Ship's Cat

More Lives Than A Ship’s Cat By Jeremy Stoke and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 288

By any standards Mick Stoke’s experiences in the Royal Navy during the Second World War were remarkable. Aged nineteen, he was ‘Mentioned in Despatches’ and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his courage during incessant bombing during the Siege of Tobruk.

He survived multiple torpedo attacks, firstly serving on the cruiser Glasgow, which was hit twice; on the battleship Queen Elizabeth at sea and blown up by human torpedoes at Alexandria; and on HMS Hardy, struck in January 1944, while escorting Russian Arctic Convoy JW56B.

In 1942, he was serving on HMS Carlisle during the fiercely fought Malta convoys and took part in the Battle of Sirte. Later that year he was awarded the MBE ‘for outstanding bravery, resource and devotion to duty during very heavy bombing’ at the port of Bone during Operation TORCH. He went on to serve at D-Day and later in the Pacific on HMS Rajah.

It is a privilege to read Mick Stoke’s graphic and modest account of his naval service in the Second World War. Readers will appreciate and understand how he became ‘The Most Highly Decorated Midshipman in the Royal Navy’.

I have to say from the start out that this is a brilliant title for a book, in this one title it really does encompass the whole book. This book follows the adventures and very near scrapes of Mick Stoke, the most decorated Mid Shipman in World War Two. This man spent the war serving on the Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth, Hardy, Carlisle, Operation Torch, took part in the D-Day Landings and was on the Rajah out in the Pacific. One could see him as a brave man awarded for his gallantry and bravery, or you could say he was unlucky too.

This was a well-written book by his son, it reads very easily and reads just

like an adventure story. In fact, I enjoyed it so much it only took me a couple of

nights as it was hard to put down, I was kind of thinking surely he can’t survive the

next attack. The reports from his Naval Records near the back of the book were a

nice touch and showed how much he was held in high regard. I highly recommend

this book about one of life’s good guys.