Naval Eyewitnesses - The Experience of War at Sea, 1939–1945

Naval Eyewitnesses - The Experience of War at Sea, 1939–1945 written by

James Goulty and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 264

Although many books have been written about naval actions during the Second World

War – histories and memoirs in particular – few books have attempted to encompass

the extraordinary variety of the experience of the war at sea. That is why James

Goulty’s viv-id survey is of such value. Sailors in the Royal Navy and the Merchant

Navy experienced a war fought on a massive scale, on every ocean of the world, in a

diverse range of ves-sels, from battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines to merchant

ships and fishing boats. Their recollections are as varied as the ships they served in,

and they take the reader through the entire maritime war, as it was perceived at the time

by those who had direct, personal knowledge of it.

Throughout the book the emphasis is on the experience of individuals – their recruit-ment and training, their expectations and the reality they encountered on active service in many different offensive and defensive roles including convoy duty and coastal de-fence, amphibious operations, hunting U-boats and surface raiders, mine sweeping and manning landing and rescue craft. A particularly graphic section describes, in the words of the sailors themselves, what action against the enemy felt like and the impact of casualties – seamen who were wounded or killed on board or were lost when their ships sank.

This is an excellent book about life in the Royal Navy during World War Two, this book looks at the views and opinions of most ranks on board from a wide variety of ships and vessels. I think this is what makes this book is all the opinions of the variety of shipmen, how they see things, the thoughts on the war and also the daily routines of being on board a ship or submarine. In fact, I enjoyed all of this book because the information at the start of the book was also informative and useful like the timeline and the abbreviations. A solid book that really informs you about life in the Navy during WW2.

The Son that Elizabeth I Never Had

The Son that Elizabeth I Never Had - The Adventurous Life of Robert Dudley’s

Illegitimate Son written by Julia A. Hickey and published by Pen & Sword Books

- £22 - Hardback - Pages 224

Sir Robert Dudley, the handsome ‘base born’ son of Elizabeth I’s favourite, was born amidst

scandal and intrigue. The story of his birth is one of love, royalty and broken bonds of trust.

He was at Tilbury with the Earl of Leicester in 1587; four years later he was wealthy,

independent and making a mark in Elizabeth’s court; he explored Trinidad, searched for the

fabled gold of El Dorado and backed a voyage taking a letter from the queen to the Emperor

of China. He took part in the Earl of Essex’s raid on Cadiz and was implicated in the earl’s

rebellion in 1601 but what he wanted most was to prove his legitimacy. Refusing to accept

the lot Fate dealt him after the death of the Queen, he abandoned his family, his home and

his country never to return. He carved his own destiny in Tuscany as an engineer, courtier,

shipbuilder and seafarer with the woman he loved at his side. His sea atlas, the first of its

kind, was published in 1646. The Dell’Arcano del Mare took more than twelve years to write

and was the culmination of a lifetime’s work. Robert Dudley, the son Elizabeth never had, is

the story of a scholar, an adventurer and an Elizabethan seadog that deserves to be better

known.

For someone who was considered ‘base born’ or illegitimate, Robin Dudley actually turned out to be a fine young man who had to fight or prove he deserved better than what life had labeled him. He tackled numerous jobs, the type that were of the kind you would expect with connections, as he was an engineer, shipbuilder, explorer to mention a few. Clearly a man that gets little notice or attention, but he turns out to be a rather interesting character. An intriguing book that has been very well written by the author Julia A. Hickey.

Free French Spitfire Hero

Free French Spitfire Hero written by Jan Leeming & René Mouchotte DFC

and published by Air World - £25 - Hardback - Pages 320

René Mouchotte was born on 21 August 1914, at Saint Mande, Paris. He joined

the Armée de l’Air for his period of military service in 1934, obtaining his flying brevet.

Though Mouchotte returned to civilian life, he was called up at the outbreak of war in 1939, becoming a Sergeant-Pilot instructor in North Africa. When France capitulated in June 1940, Mouchotte and fellow pilot Charles Guerin decided to make their way to the United Kingdom. Along with four other French pilots, Mouchotte made the short flight to Gibraltar on the morning of 30 June. From there he traveled on to Britain, being accepted into the RAF soon after their arrival.

The Battle of Britain was already several weeks old when Mouchotte was posted to 245 Squadron, then based at Aldergrove, on 11 September 1940. A week later he transferred to 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron at Prestwick. Flying Hurricanes, it was with 615 Squadron that Mouchotte became a flight commander, shot down a Junkers Ju 88, and earned a Croix de Guerre. He moved to Turnhouse as Deputy ‘A’ Flight Commander with 340 (Free French) Squadron. He was promoted to captain in March 1942 and awarded the DFC.

On 18 January 1943, Mouchotte returned to Turnhouse to form and command 341 Squadron, which transferred to Biggin Hill. On 15 May 1943, Mouchette and Squadron Leader E.F.J Charles shared the sector’s 1000th victory. Two days later, Mouchotte destroyed a Me 109.

Commandant René Gaston Octave Jean Mouchotte DFC, CdeG – one of ‘The Few’ of the Battle of Britain – became one of the most famous Free French pilots of the Second World War, during which he served alongside such notables as the legendary Group Captain ‘Sailor’ Malan and the Wing Commander Al Deere. It is Commandant Mouchotte’s diaries, written between 1940 and 1943, that form the basis of this book. The diaries are introduced and contextualized by the renowned aviation historian Dilip Sarkar, who also forensically examines the story behind Biggin Hill’s 1000th ‘kill’ and the circumstances of René’s last flight, adding new detail to both events.

The thing about history that always stands out to me is that you will never stop learning about something new when it comes to history. Such a big conflict and involving so many people in so many ways, you have a never ending list of stories that people have experienced. Now I have never heard of Rene Mouchotte, a free french pilot during WW2 who would eventually come to Britain to fly in our air force and would distinguish himself. Sadly he died coming from a bombing raid on a V2 rocket launch site, crashing just off the coast of Belgium. His is a very fine story told throughout this book in a diary format and it really is interesting and my favourite kind of read. This book will be of interest to aviation fans and I would say it would interest most people as it is a very intriguing read. 

Medieval Royal Mistresses

Medieval Royal Mistresses - Mischievous Women who Slept with Kings and Princes

written by Julia A. Hickey and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback -

Pages 224

Marriage for Medieval kings was about politics, power and the provision of legitimate

heirs. Mistresses were about love, lust and possession. It was a world that included

kidnap, poison, murder, violation, public shaming and accusations of witchcraft.

Ambition and quick wits as well as beauty were essential attributes for any royal

mistress. Infamy, assassination and imprisonment awaited some royal mistresses

who tumbled from favour whilst others disappeared into obscurity or respectable

lives as married women and were quickly forgotten.

Meet Nest of Wales, born in turbulent times, whose abduction started a war; Alice Perrers and Jane Shore labelled ‘whores’ and ‘wantons’; Katherine Swynford who turned the medieval world upside down with a royal happy-ever-after and Rosamund Clifford who left history and stepped into legend.

Discover how serial royal womanisers married off their discarded mistresses to bind their allies close. Explore the semi-official roles of some mistresses; the illegitimate children who became kings; secret marriage ceremonies; Edith Forne Sigulfson and Lady Eleanor Talbot who sought atonement through religion as well as the aristocratic women who became the victims of royal lust.

Most of the shameful women who shared the beds of medieval kings were silenced, besmirched or consigned to the footnotes of a patriarchal worldview but they negotiated paths between the private and public spheres of medieval court life - changing history as they went.

An interesting and intriguing read about some of the women involved in Medieval relationships amongst kings and princes throughout Europe. There seems to be a variety of different reasons for these relationships such as love, seeking power and some that were born into a position where a relationship was a likely outcome. It was nice to read about women in this position rather than just the male viewpoint and I really liked that they took a European wide look rather than just sticking British. A lot of research done and well written certainly one for people into Women’s history through the medieval period.

Royal Yachts Under Sail

Royal Yachts Under Sail written by Brian Lavery and published

by Seaforth Publishing - £50 - Hardback - Pages 160

From the time of the Restoration of Charles II, when he returned to England from Breda

and was presented with the yacht Mary by the burgomaster of Amsterdam, Royal yachts

began to be defined as such in England and built with that special purpose in mind.

They were built luxuriously and used for royal visits to the fleet, for diplomacy and for

racing and cruising for pleasure.

Charles II took more of an interest in the sea than any other English monarch. He built a fleet of royal yachts, fine examples of ship design and decorative art, and he can be said to have been the father of yachting and of royal yachts. His successors were less keen on the sea but travelled to Europe on missions of peace and war; and royal yachts took part in regime change several times. In 1689 Queen Mary was bought over to join her husband William of Orange and complete the ‘Glorious Revolution’. In 1714 George I arrived from Hanover to establish a new dynasty. And in 1814, in a reverse process, King Louis XVIII was taken back to France to restore the monarchy after the defeat of Napoleon.

This important new book is the first to describe the building and decoration of the yachts in such detail, using many newly discovered sources; and it is the first to describe their uses and exploits, often taking their royal passengers into controversy or danger. Besides the yachts themselves, it reveals much about the character of the kings, queens and princes involved – the impetuousness of the future William IV for example, or his brother George IV’s surprising love of sailing. It describes the design, accommodation, and sailing of the yachts, as well as their captains and crews.

Royal Yachts Under Sail is a beautiful-looking book, it’s a coffee table size book, so one that’s not so easy to read laid in bed. I have to start with the fact that this book is choc full of brilliant and beautiful artwork of fantastic royal ships, scenes, sailors and ports of interest. The pictures in my opinion really bring the book and subject to life, and the standard of art is just very beautiful. The book also contains maps, diagrams, illustrations and plans which are of equally high standard too. 

The book explains the story of the start of the Royal Yacht era with the return of

Charles II, but these boats were not just your standard boat, these boats were

vessels of high luxury, style and expense. Their opulence would bring stature,

standing and status to the monarch and his country. This is a fascinating book

if you're into learning about boat building, with much talk about plans, ease of

building, standards of building and work. This book was a fascinating read I

have enjoyed reading and would easily please anyone who loves to read about

early sailing or model makers.

Laugh or Cry

Laugh or Cry written by Gary Bain & Peter Hart and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 224

'Awakened by great shouted oaths below. Peeped over the side of the manger and

saw a Belgian lass milking and addressing a cow with a comprehensive luridness

that left no doubt in my mind that British soldiers had been billeted here before.'

Private Norman Ellison, 1/6th King’s Liverpool Regiment

Humour helped the British soldier survive the terrible experiences they faced in the trenches of the Western Front during the Great War. Human beings are complicated, and there is no set pattern as to how they react to the outrageous stresses of war. But humour, often dark and representative of the horrors around them could and often did help. They may have been up to their knees in mud and blood, soaking wet and shot at from all sides, but many were still determined to see the ‘funny side’, rather than surrender to utter misery. Peter Hart and Gary Bain have delved deep into the archives to find examples of the soldier’s wit. The results are at times hilarious but rooted in tragedy. You have to laugh or cry.

I’ve only just done my top 10 books for 2022, and here we have a very early contender for my top 10 list for 2023. I think this book was made for me as I loved the humour in it, either that or being from a forces family I could understand the humour and the comments of men away from home serving in the military. The book is absolutely packed with first-hand quotes from men serving on the frontline, and the book covers many different topics that would affect men at war such as the Home Front, getting Back Home, prospects of being killed, going over the top, the top brass, life living in the trenches and working with each other from all different backgrounds.

The book goes along nicely going from one quote to another, it’s an easy read because the book is written very well indeed. I also enjoyed some of the quotes that might be seen as a little near the knuckle or not very PC, which is what you want because these are the words written by the men themselves rather than what we have to read sometimes these days. Written by a couple of excellent historians, I can’t really fault this book at all, and is surely a must of any Great War fans.

Armies of Anglo-Saxon England 410–1066

Armies of Anglo-Saxon England 410–1066 written by Gabriele Esposito

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 176

In the early 5th century, Germanic Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed the North Sea in increasing numbers and began settling among the ruins of the former Roman province of Britannia. This led to centuries of warfare as these 'Anglo-Saxons' carved new, independent kingdoms at the point of the sword, fighting the native Britons and each other. From the late eighth century they also had to face the threat of the Vikings, at first as opportunistic raiders but increasingly bent on conquest. The last Viking invasion was defeated by Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge but he was defeated by the Normans in that same fatal year of 1066, ending the Anglo-Saxon Age.

Gabriele Esposito gives an overview of Anglo-Saxon military history, narrating the great campaigns, such as those of Alfred the Great of Wessex and Harold Godwinson. He discusses in detail the composition of Anglo-Saxon forces, their tactics, weapons and equipment, detailing developments across the period. The informative, accessible text is supported by dozens of colour images showing replica Saxon war gear in use.

The author Gabriele Esposito has written another fantastic book here again, she brilliantly

picks out a group/tribe and brings you everything you would want to know about them.

Down to what they wear everyday and in battle, what tools/instruments/weapons they

would use and even down to their tactics and organisational skills in war. They really do

make fantastic reading and probably what isn’t celebrated enough is the pictures and the

quality of them. I would say that this is the second of her book I have read and I have fully

enjoyed both and they are fast becoming my favourite Pen & Sword series, and that must

mean they are good because we’re talking high quality here.