Library Results | Royal Museums Greenwich

Royal Navy Home Fleet 1939-41 : the last line of defence at Scapa Flow /Angus Konstam ; illustrated by Jim Laurier. "Throughout its history, the Royal Navy's most powerful fleet has been the one guarding home waters. In this book, naval historian Angus Konstam explores the fighting power, the roles, and the battles of the Home Fleet, in the crucial first years of World War II when it was Britain's most powerful fighting force, anchored in the northern bastion of Scapa Flow. He explains the complex responsibilities of the fleet, charged simultaneously with preventing the powerful German Navy from breaking out into the Atlantic; preparing to challenge any cross-Channel invasion force; and attacking German naval operations in the North Sea. Home Fleet actions included the loss of HMS Hood, the sinking of the Bismarck and countering the invasion of Norway, Germany's biggest amphibious operation of the war. Packed with striking new artwork and 3D diagrams and maps, this book offers a detailed portrait of the Home Fleet during these most crucial years of the war, from the capabilities of the warships to logistics and intelligence-gathering, to how the fleet was organized and commanded, and how and why it fought as it did."-- 2024. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.545941

The live creature and ethereal things : physics in culture "The Live Creature and Ethereal Things: Physics in Culture - edited by curator Nicola Triscott and artist Fiona Crisp, published by Arts Catalyst - is a collection of texts, images and conversations that present fundamental physics and the physics of the universe as human activities and cultural endeavours. Cosmology and particle physics probe the furthest limits of the knowable and have the potential to provide transcendental aesthetic and conceptual experiences, enriching our everyday lives. These explorations of the otherworldly and the ethereal are undertaken by human beings in real world laboratories and observatories. Yet in our Western European culture, physics tends to be represented as factual, abstract, "hard", and removed from our lived human experience. This lack of a sense of how physics unfolds through its processes, personalities and places leads to a gap in the cultural imaginary and social understanding of physics, which also impacts on those who might choose to study this complex subject or go into it as a profession. Featuring texts, images and conversations by physicists, artists and curators, the book examines the role of personality, power and culture in physics and discusses the value of cross-pollination between the practices of contemporary art and physics. These reflections shed light on the people and material practices of physics: from the vast underground particle physics laboratory at CERN, Geneva, used by half of the world's particle physicists, and deep underground neutrino observatories in the UK, Italy and Antarctica, to super-computers that construct astonishing visualisations of the evolution of the universe."--Provided by the publisher. [2018]. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Turbine excursion steamers : a history /compiled by Alistair Deayton & Iain Quinn. "In 1897, a revolutionary new type of ship blasted its way through the Royal Review at an unprecedented 30+knots. This small vessel, still extant in Newcastle, was the Turbinia, and she was powered by the world's first marine steam turbine. Developed by Charles Parsons, in one fell swoop she revolutionised sea travel. She was the first turbine steamer. Economical and fast, the turbine steamer was soon to revolutionise ferries and pleasure steamers, as well as huge ocean liners and the mightiest of battleships. The turbine not only promised speed, economy and reliability, it delivered these qualities too. Our story looks at the turbine pleasure steamers in coastal and short-sea service and it covers the first passenger steam turbine vessels on the Clyde, as well as the Irish Sea and South Coast of England as well as the German turbine pleasure steamers. From the ships of Williamson-Buchanan to the Isle of Man and cross channel ferries, the turbine revolutionised short sea transport. Alistair Deayton and Iain Quinn look at the development of the turbine steamer for pleasure use, concentrating on the ships that served the Clyde, Irish Sea and the short sea crossings in the English Channel. Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet, Williamson-Buchanan, Caledonian Steam Packet, General Steam Navigation Co., David MacBrayne and the Liverpool & North Wales Steam Ship Co. are covered in depth in this new book, which tells the story of the turbine excursion steamer over the century and a bit since the first revolutionary turbine pleasure steamer made its maiden voyage on the Clyde at the dawn of the Edwardian era."--Provided by the publisher. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 629.123.2"1897/197"

Smoke and mirrors : Q-ships against the U-boats in the First World War /Deborah Lake. "The Q-ship, an ordinary merchant vessel with concealed guns, came into its own during the First World War, when the Royal Navy to trap and destroy German U-boats. Deborah Lake uses a wide range of primary and secondary source material drawn from archives in the UK, Germany and the USA to tell the compelling story of the Q-ships and their U-boat adversaries. The Q-ship operations themselves will be covered by following the careers of the eight men who won the Victoria Cross on Special Service Operations; and by accounts of German U-boat crews being on the receiving end. No book on Q-ships can avoid the Baralong incident in which a Q-ship's crew allegedly executed the survivors of the German submarine U-27, on 19 August 1915. In a subsequent encounter with U-41, more British atrocities were alleged by the only two German survivors. Revealing extracts from the diary of a Royal Marine who served on board the Baralong are reproduced in the book together with other first-hand accounts. With charge and counter-charge, this incident provides a fascinating story."--Provided by the publisher. 2006. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 623.829.5

Classic ships of Islam : from Mesopotamia to the Indian Ocean /by Dionisius A. Agius. "This book charts the development of Islamic ships and boats in the Western Indian Ocean from the seventh to the early sixteenth century with reference to earlier periods. It utilizes mainly Classical and Medieval Arabic sources with iconographical evidence and archaeological finds. Maritime activities in the region resulted in a cross fertilization, not only of goods but also of ideas and culture which gave an underlying cohesion to the Arabian, Persian and Indian maritime peoples. This study has led to a re-evaluation of that maritime culture, showing that it was predominantly Persian and Indian, with Chinese influence, throughout the Islamic period until the coming of the Portuguese, as reflected in nautical terminology and technology."--Provided by the publisher 2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 629.123(5)

The sea their graves : an archaeology of death and remembrance in maritime culture /David J Stewart "Like other groups with dangerous occupations, mariners have developed a close-knit culture bound by loss and memory. Death regularly disrupts the fabric of this culture and necessitates actions designed to mend its social structure. From the ritual of burying a body at sea to the creation of memorials to honor the missing, these events tell us a great deal about how sailors see their world. Based on a study of more than 2,100 gravestones and monuments in North America and the United Kingdom erected between the seventeenth and late twentieth centuries, David Stewart expands the use of nautical archaeology into terrestrial environments. He focuses on those who make their living at sea--one of the world's oldest and most dangerous occupations--to examine their distinct folkloric traditions, beliefs, and customs regarding death, loss, and remembrance."--Provided by the publisher. 2019. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 613.68

Five hundred years of Deptford and Woolwich Royal Dockyards; Marking the 500th anniversary of the foundation of the Thames yards by Henry VIII opened by Dame Joan Ruddock MP for Lewisham Deptford : Transactions of the Naval Dockyard Society Volume 11 January 2019; conference held at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich 20 April 2013. The Naval Dockyard Society. 2019. • FOLIO • 1 copy available.

A reluctant hero : the life of Captain Robert Ryder, VC /Richard Hopton. A biography of Captain Robert Ryder (1908-1986), VC. Born in India, Ryder joined the Royal Navy in 1926. His naval service included the captaincy of the ketch Tai-Mo-Shan (1933-34), and the schooner Penola during the British Graham Land Expedition in Antarctica (1934-37). During the Second World War, and having been promoted to commander of the Q-ship HMS Edgehill which was sunk on the 29th June 1940, Ryder was adrift in the Atlantic for four days before rescue. Ryder later went on to lead the St Nazaire Raid, codenamed Operation Chariot, on 28 March 1942. This was a successful operation to destroy the 'Normandie Dock' in the German naval base in the town and with the stated aim of denying large German ships, particularly the German battleship Tirpitz, a base on the Atlantic coast. For his actions during this operation Ryder was awarded the Victoria Cross. Following retirement from the Royal Navy, Ryder entered politics as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950-55) for Merton and Morden, was Managing Director of the John Lewis Partnership (1955-59) and was appointed to the management committee of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), serving until 1974 when he became a Life Vice-President. Illustrated with photographs. 2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92RYDER

Captain James Cook / Rob Mundle. A biography of Captain James Cook (1728-1779). As a sailor, the author highlights the sailing and navigational challenges faced by Cook on his voyages. Born in Yorkshire, Cook joined the Royal Navy in 1755, participating in the Seven Years War and mapping the Newfoundland coast before undertaking the three voyages of discovery in the Pacific which made him famous. Commanding the Endeavour, Cook's first voyage in 1768 was to observe the transit of Venus. He went on to circumnavigate and map the coastline of New Zealand before sailing west to make the first recorded European contact with the eastern coast of Australia. Cook returned to the Pacific in 1772 in command of the Resolution to search for the hypothetical Terra Australis, circumnavigating the globe at an extreme southern latitude, one of the earliest to cross the Antarctic circle. Commanding the Resolution again on his third voyage of discovery and in search of the North West Passage, Cook stopped in Hawaii in 1779 where he was killed. Includes a bibliography and glossary of sailing terms. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92COOK

The Polar sale : Scott & Amundsen centenary :Friday 30 March 2012 at 2 pm, Knightsbridge, London. Bonhams (Firm : 2001) 2012. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

A biographical dictionary of the twentieth-century Royal Navy : volume 1 :admirals of the Fleet and admirals /by Alastair Wilson. "Despite its recent decline in size and influence, for much of the twentieth century the Royal Navy was a major player in world history. Its senior officers carried out - and sometimes made - British policy in peace and war, but with the exception of a few star figures the details of their careers have never been published. This book is the first volume of a major study intended to provide a resumâe of the service lives of every flag officer, in the style of the great nineteenth century biographical dictionaries of Marshall and O'Byrne. Every entry is based on primary sources, including the Navy's confidential personnel files, cross-referenced with general historical data and, in the case of living officers, correspondence with the subjects themselves. The book comes with a CD which contains the service histories and careers of 336 most senior admirals on the Navy List from 1900 onwards. The length of each entry varies with the importance of the officer covered, but each includes both an outline of their careers and significant dates, like promotions and awards. In all, the CD contains more than 600,000 words - a truly epic work. The majority are not even included in the Dictionary of National Biography, and as such, this work will be a boon to historians, and invaluable to genealogists. A monumental and unique naval historical resource."--Provided by the publisher. 2013. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 92:355.333.3(42)"19"

Trading nature : Tahitians, Europeans, and ecological exchange /Jennifer Newell. "When Captain Samuel Wallis became the first European to land at Tahiti in June 1767, he left not only a British flag on shore but also three guinea hens, a pair of turkeys, a pregnant cat, and a garden planted with peas for the chiefess Purea. Thereafter, a succession of European captains, missionaries, and others planted seeds and introduced livestock from around the world. In turn, the islanders traded away great quantities of important island resources, including valuable and spiritually significant plants and animals. What did these exchanges mean? What was their impact? The answers are often unexpected. They also reveal the ways islanders retained control over their societies and landscapes in an era of increasing European intervention. Trading Nature explores - from both the European and Tahitian perspective - the effects of "ecological exchange" on one island from the mid-eighteenth century to the present day. Through a series of dramatic episodes, Trading Nature uncovers the potency of trading in nature. In the interweavings of chiefly power, ordinary islanders, the ambitions of outsiders, transplanted species, and existing ecologies, the book uncovers the cultural and ecological impacts of cross-cultural exchange. Evidence of these transactions has been found in a rich variety of voyage journals, missionary diaries, Tahitian accounts, colonial records, travelers' tales, and a range of visual and material sources. The story progresses from the first trades on Tahiti's shores for provisions for British and French ships to the contrasting histories of cattle in Tahiti and Hawai'i. Two key exportations of species are analyzed: the great breadfruit transplantation project that linked Britain to Tahiti and the Caribbean and the politically volatile trade in salt-pork that ran between Tahiti and the Australian colonies in the nineteenth century. In each case, the author explores the long-term impacts of the exchanges on modern Tahiti. Trading Nature is a finely researched and entertaining work that will find a ready audience among those with an interest in the Pacific, ecological history, and the startling consequences of entangling people, plants, and animals on island shores."--Provided by the publisher. 2010. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 382(4:963)

A Confederate biography : the cruise of the CSS Shenandoah /Dwight Sturtevant Hughes. "From October 1864 to November 1865 the CSS Shenandoah carried the Civil War around the globe, through every extreme of sea and storm. Her officers represented a cross section of the Confederacy, from Old Dominion first families through the Deep South aristocracy to a middle-class Missourian. Among these men were a nephew of Robert E. Lee, a grandnephew of founder George Mason, a son-in-law to Raphael Semmes, grandsons of men who fought at George Washington's side, and an uncle of Theodore Roosevelt. They considered themselves Americans, Southerners, rebels, and warriors embarking on the voyage of their lives, defending their country as they understood it and pursuing a difficult, dangerous mission in which they succeeded spectacularly after it no longer mattered. This book is, as Adm. Raphael Semmes describes, a biography of a cruise and a microcosm of the Confederate-American experience"--Provided by publisher. 2015 • BOOK • 1 copy available. 355.49"1861/1865"(73)

Heroes of Coastal Command : 1939-1945 /Andrew D. Bird. "In Heroes of Coastal Command, Andrew Bird examines the maritime war between 1939 and 1945, interweaving accounts of events of the period with personal stories of individuals caught up in them. Through interviews, letters, diaries and reports, all combined with his own research, the author looks afresh at the maritime conflict, reassessing long-held views of the Cinderella Service's defensive and offensive capabilities through the eyes of ordinary individuals battling for survival above the oceans against flak gun, enemy aircraft and weather as the stakes rose higher and the number of casualties become catastrophic. Heroes of Coastal Command makes the reader think again about the RAF's maritime arm, Coastal Command, which was established in 1936. Throughout the war, its crews worked tirelessly alongside the Royal Navy to keep Britain's vital sea lanes open. Together, they fought and won the Battle of the Atlantic, with RAF aircraft destroying 212 German U-Boats and sinking a significant tonnage of enemy warships and merchant vessels. Often working alone and unsupported, undertaking long patrols out over opens seas, Coastal Command bred a special kind of airman. This includes individuals such Lloyd Trigg, who was awarded the Victoria Cross; Roger Moorwood, a Blenheim pilot who flew in the Battle of France; Jack Davenport, who flew his Hampden; John Watson, the sole survivor of a Short Sunderland which was lost during a rescue mission; Maurice Guedj, a Frenchman who escaped from Morocco to join the Free French Air Force; Sam McHardy, who for a short while became a Coastal Command ground coordinator posted aboard a Royal Navy destroyer for a raid on Norway; and Ken Gatward, who flew a unique daylight mission over Paris to drop a Tricolore on the Arc de Triomphe. These are just some of the fabulous stories, full of daring and breath-taking courage, and individuals explored in this book."--Provided by the publisher. 2018. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 940.544.9(42)

The London County Council : bomb damage maps 1939-1945/Laurence Ward. "The aerial bombardment of London during the Second World War is one of the most significant events in the city's modern history. Between 1939 and 1945, London and its environs experienced destruction on a huge and deadly scale, with air raids and rocket attacks reducing entire buildings and steets to rubble. The London County Council Bomb Damage Maps, meticulously hand-coloured to document the level of damage being wrought on London's built environment, represent a key record of the destruction, the impact of which can still be seen in the capital's urban and social landscapes. They also speak of the human experience of war - of loss and camaraderie, of tragedy and heroism - conjuring the days of blackout and the 'Spirit of the Blitz.' They tell a story, moreover, that was echoed in towns and cities across Britain and throughout the war. Featuring new, high-quality images of each of the 110 maps that make up the set, this book marks the first occasion on which these truly remarkable documents - part historical artefacts, part social history - have been published for a general audience. A clear and fascinating introduction by expert Laurence Ward, one of the principal archivists at London Metropolitan Archives, sets the maps in the full historical context of the terrible events that gave rise to them. Also included is a series of extraordinary photographs of the damage done to the City of London in particular, taken with a sympathetic yet unflinching eye by police constables Arthur Cross and Fred Tibbs. Complete with additional archival photographs and tables of often grim statistics, this landmark publication offers an invaluable graphic representation of one of the most dramatic and affecting episodes in the history of London."--Provided by the publisher. 2015. • FOLIO • 1 copy available. 940.5432

The discovery of mankind : Atlantic encounters in the age of Columbus /David Abulafia. "Emphasizing contact between peoples rather than the discovery of lands, and using archaeological findings as well as eye-witness accounts, David Abulafia explores the social lives of the inhabitants of the Atlantic World, the motivations and tensions of the first transactions and the swift transmutation of wonder to vicious exploitation. Lucid, readable and scrupulous, this is a work of humane engagement with a period in which a tragically violent standard was set for European conquest of the world."--Jacket. 2008. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 910.4(261)"14/16"

Heroes of the RNLI : the storm warriors /Martyn Beardsley. "Whenever vessels have foundered off the coasts of Britain, there have always been those willing to give their all to save those in peril. But in 1823, Sir William Hillary decided that this admirable but impromptu approach was not enough. He believed that many more lives could be saved by the establishment of a national, organised rescue service. His idea was realised the following year. From the days of oar-powered open boats to modern high speed, hi-tech vessels, rescuers have battled storms and unimaginable conditions, risking - and sometimes forfeiting - their own lives in efforts to save others. The most outstanding of these operations led to the awarding of gold medals for gallantry, the RNLI version of the Victoria Cross. Above all, these are human stories. Using information gleaned from archives, contemporary newspaper accounts and genealogical records, this book looks not just at the details of the rescues, but into the people behind them."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 627.772:061.236

More lives than a ship's cat / Jeremy Stoke. "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'." --Provided by the publisher. 2022. • BOOK • 2 copies available. 92STOKE

Tracing your ancestors through letters and personal writings: A guide for family historians "Could your ancestors write their own names or did they mark official documents with a cross? Why did great-grandfather write so cryptically on a postcard home during the First World War? Why did great-grandmother copy all the letters she wrote into letter-books? How unusual was it that great-uncle sat down and wrote a poem, or a memoir? Researching Family History Through Ancestors' Personal Writings looks at the kinds of (mainly unpublished) writing that could turn up amongst family papers from the Victorian period onwards - a time during which writing became crucial for holding families together and managing their collective affairs. With industrialisation, improved education, and far more geographical mobility, British people of all classes were writing for new purposes, with new implements, in new styles, using new modes of expression and new methods of communication (e.g. telegrams and postcards). Our ancestors had an itch for scribbling from the most basic marks (initials, signatures and graffiti on objects as varied as trees, rafters and window ledges), through more emotionally-charged kinds of writing such as letters and diaries, to more creative works such as poetry and even fiction. This book shows family historians how to get the most out of documents written by their ancestors and, therefore, how better to understand the people behind the words."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 929.3

The canal pioneers : Brindley's School of Engineers /Christopher Lewis. "James Brindley was the pioneer of the practical age of canal construction in eighteenth-century Britain. Unlike John Smeaton, Brindley was untutored, and began his work as an apprentice millwright. However, it was Brindley who developed and laid down the principles of early canal construction. The surveying and building of what was the beginning of a national system of canals was too great for one man. Brindley's vision and organisational ability was evident when he created what Cyril Boucher has called a A School of Engineers, to reflect his designs, draw detailed maps, survey territory under his direction and built the canals he was commissioned to construct. Hugh Henshall, Samuel Simock, Robert Whitworth, Josiah Clowes, Thomas Dadford and Samuel Weston were talented colleagues friends and relatives who belonged to the Brindley school of engineering. Within this school, Brindley instructed and trained these men to his own high standards and many of these engineers went to extend Brindley's original system, based on his Great Cross of waters ways, as the country came to realise the enormous benefits in the transportation of heavy goods and material. Their works included the further development of the integration of canal and river navigations throughout the country; from the Forth and Clyde to the Bridgewater Canal, from the Trent and Mersey to the Thames Navigation and the canals that served Wales. This illustrated book chronicles the lives of these engineers as well as their various achievements and gives an insight into their other associated entrepreneurial activities. Supporting the unique aspects of this latest analysis of Britains's emergent canal system, the book includes a detailed gazetteer which provides opportunities for the reader to visit many of these significant sites around Britain and gain a greater understanding of the interconnected world of these pioneers and their contribution to our transport system."--Back cover. 2011. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 626.1(42)"17":92

The good immigrant / edited by Nikesh Shukla. "How does it feel to be constantly regarded as a potential threat, strip-searched at every airport? Or be told that, as an actress, the part you're most fitted to play is 'wife of a terrorist'? How does it feel to have words from your native language misused, misappropriated and used aggressively towards you? How does it feel to hear a child of colour say in a classroom that stories can only be about white people? How does it feel to go 'home' to India when your home is really London? What is it like to feel you always have to be an ambassador for your race? How does it feel to always tick 'Other'? Bringing together 21 exciting black, Asian and minority ethnic voices emerging in Britain today, The Good Immigrant explores why immigrants come to the UK, why they stay and what it means to be 'other' in a country that doesn't seem to want you, doesn't truly accept you - however many generations you've been here - but still needs you for its diversity monitoring forms. Inspired by discussion around why society appears to deem people of colour as bad immigrants - job stealers, benefit scroungers, undeserving refugees - until, by winning Olympic races or baking good cakes, or being conscientious doctors, they cross over and become good immigrants, editor Nikesh Shukla has compiled a collection of essays that are poignant, challenging, angry, humorous, heartbreaking, polemic, weary and - most importantly - real."--Provided by the publisher. 2016. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 305.9069120941

Letters from a troopship 1945-1946 / Seymour McCarraher ; edited by James McCarraher. "This is a time when the world was in utter disarray. Germany had capitulated and victoryover the Japanese lay just around the corner. Military personnel found themselves far from home and it was the job of the S.S. Strathaird and countless ships like her to repatriate their human cargo (both allied and enemy) to the far outreaches of the globe. Seymour's letters home take us from his initial billeting as a Bevin Boy to a life of complete contrast sailing the world courtesy of P&O. He successfully captures a flavour of the time and gives immediacy to this oft overlooked piece of history as he bears witness to a changing world. Through the eyes of this bright, opinionated and articulate young man, we are given a window into life on board a working troopship. At times, his words are wise beyond his years and strike a chord. His thoughts are often in line with the 'Moral Re-Armament' movement which was prevalent during this era. However, he can often be increadibly naive, in part because of his tender years and upbringing. Reading this book, we have the wisdom of hindsight which allows us to smile knowingly at his 'faux pas'. Although the earlier letters are limited by censorship, as his adventures continue Seymour accurately documents the sights, sounds and smells he encounters and contrasts the immediate post-war welfare of one country with another as he travels from port to port. His sadness at the plight of the Italians is contrasted with his fury at the Greeks for openly and fragrantly selling U.N. and Red Cross supplies, whilst at home his ailing parents struggled to cope on meagre rations. He is not shy in registering his dislike for the former P.O.Ws and his disgust at the behaviour of certain troops. This is a world seeking to find a new order after six years of conflict - British territories crying out for independence, the Antipodeans desperate to welcome their 'boys' home and Greece facing the monumental threat of Communism."--Provided by the publisher. 2020. • BOOK • 1 copy available.

Torpedoes, tea, and medals : the gallant life of Commander D.G.H. 'Jake' Wright DSC** Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve /by Captain Chris O'Flaherty, Royal Navy ; foreword by Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd CBE. "Derek Wright learnt about small boats from his father, who tragically died when Derek was just 14 years old. Sent away from his family to finish his education, he left school at 16 to join the global tea trade. Soon after he finished his training with Brooke Bond, famous for their 'Dividend' tea, Hitler invaded Poland and Britain was at war. By then known to his friends as 'Jake', he was one of the first Volunteer Reserves to be called up to fight for his country. Plucked from his naval training in HMS King Alfred, his warfighting initiation was on the beach at Dunkirk, helping evacuate stragglers after Operation DYNAMO. He then volunteered for Motor Torpedo Boats, where he served with valour and distinction. Whilst Hitler's U-Boats were torpedoing shipments of tea bound for Great Britain, Jake Wright reciprocated by torpedoing Axis coastal shipping off Europe. His first Command was MTB 331, trained for a daredevil mission to puncture German boom defences protecting their battleships. In his next Command, MTB 32, he was wounded in action whilst torpedoing a German convoy, but kept his small ship fighting against the odds to win the action and sink his enemy; for his bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Further acts of gallantry in action, combined with tactical innovation, saw him earn two bars to his DSC as well as a Mention in Despatches; he became one of only 44 officers in the Second World War to receive a DSC with two Bars. After demobilisation he returned to the tea trade, rising to become one of Brooke Bond's senior directors supplying Britain's beloved beverage. He even helped refine how to make the perfect cup of tea. This is the life story of a determined, brave, innovative and decorated officer who has earned a place in the hearts of our nation. It is the story of Derek 'Jake' Wright, DSC**"--Provided by the publisher. 2022. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 359.0092

Isles of Scilly in the Great War / Richard Larn OBE "The Isles of Scilly, five inhabited islands 24 miles west of Lands End, were of low priority to the War Department when the First World War was declared. With no manufacturing capability, no industry other than flower growing and agriculture, no electricity or gas, no mains water supply, no wireless station, and a population of only 2,000, the islands did have one feature in their favour their location. Sitting at the cross roads of six major shipping routes, Scilly had been a recognised ship-park since 1300AD, where sailing ships anchored to safetly awaiting a suitable wind, to re-victual, pick up water or effect repairs. The Admiralty sought to make it a harbour for the Channel Fleet in the mid-1800s, and in 1903 spent 25,000 defending the islands with 6-inch gun batteries, only to take them away seven years later. When, in 1915, German U-boats moved from the North Sea into the Western Approaches, sinking large numbers of merchant vessels, Scilly was chosen to become a Royal Navy Auxiliary Patrol Station, and over time was sent 20 armed trawlers and drifters as escorts, mine-sweepers, mine-layers or anti-submarine vessels, along with 500 Royal Navy personnel. In 1917 Tresco Island became a Royal Naval Air Station, with 14 flying boats and over 1,000 personnel. The islands were suddenly at the forefront of the submarine war. This book details Scilly's contribution to the war effort, with attention to its civilian population, the heartbreak of losing forty-five of its sons, and the trauma of countless seamen rescued from torpedoed ships."--Provided by the publisher. 2017. • BOOK • 1 copy available. 914.237"1914/1918"

Explore our Collection