198210 by Navy News

The mutiny

FROM books or films, most people known about the mutiny on the Bounty, with the generally-held belief that the tyrannical old gent got what he asked for. To open the pages of ---The Mutiny on Board IIMS Bounty," by William Bligh, and find that it is a facsimile (>I

Bligh's own story

the original log encourages no great desire to peruse further. Writing Is so much more difficult to read than good clear print ... and anyway, haven't we all read it before. But the beautiful handwriting attracts, the eyes follow, and the reader is back again with Bligh in that ship's

boat, covering 4,000 miles across an ocean on starvation rations, but commanded by a marvellous navigator and leader. They were without cover, soaked and chilled, but the 18 must have respected their captain for he maintained discipline for the 41 days it took to

VY NEWS, OCTOBER 1982

reach the Dutch settlement of Timor. Reading the story written by the man himself, day by day, there Is a much greater understanding of William Bligh, and a mighty admiration for his cool courage and skill. The book is available from Pagemaxter Press (price £13.95).

LEooi

in action Royals

WHEN Prince Andrew set sail for battle he was following a tradition started perhaps by King Alfred in 882 when the "cakes" man destroyed four Danish ships. Three years later King Alfred sent a force of ships from the Medway to have another crack at the piratical Danes in an engagement which might justly be called the first action in British naval history. That, at any, rate, is the view of David Thomas in his book "Royal AdmiraLs," published by Andre Deutsch (price £12.95).

Admiral Andrew? Prince Andrew is not an admiral yet. But who can tell? his elder brother Prince Charles, as heir to the throne, had no chance of mounting far up the promotion ladder, but the book discusses the mighthave-been for the Duke of Edinburgh had he not been called up so suddenly to be consort to the Queen. Our present-day Royal sailors have as their example one of the greatest leaders. Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mounthatten of Burma.

Red lights

Royal naval officers of earlier times had rather more freedom than today, (even if Prince Charles has had an introduction to a red light area). When Prince William, Duke of Clarence, was promoted captain of the 2$-gun frigate

---The Camp on Blood Island," by J. M. White and Val Guest, a Granada paperback dripping with the blood and brutality of war, leading to a crescendo of savagery as hostilities end with the Japanese defeat. A familiar story of prison-of-war suffering on the Malayan peninsula, powerfully told.

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Sub-Lleut. Prince Andrew (second from right) relaxes with Task Force pilots and aircrew during a visit to Port Stanley soon after the end of the war. Later he flew back to HMS Invincible, which was welcomed back to Portsmouth by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne on September 17. Left to right are Lieut. Ian McAllIster, LACMN T. Amull, Lieut. Christopher Heweth, Prince Andrew and Lieut.-Cdr. Ralph Wykes-Sneyd, commanding officer of 820 Squadron. Pegasus in 1786, his voyaging took him to Halifax. Newfoundland, where he found the women "very gay, lively ... and most obliging." However, one of the most remarkable of the battles recalled in the book is that at Sluys, when King Edward Ill in 1340 managed to assemble 140 merchants ships carrying archers arms and provisions to sail against a huge armada of French and Genoese ships gathered off Flanders. There were a few scores to pay off, the French having

recently raided Portsmouth, Southampton, Dover and Folkestone. As the English vessels left the River Orwell at Ipswich many people regarded as madness Edward's venture to join battle with the superior enemy by ramming and boarding - the only known method of fighting at sea at that time. Edward's ship led the centre column in the attack against a seemingly impregnable wall of enemy ships, towering and massed with lancers. slingers and bowmen.

But the English were armed with the equivalent of machine guns against rifles - their sixfoot longbows, which were claimed to have a range of 300 yards and each man capable of letting off a dozen three-foot arrows a minute compared with the crossbow's two.

material, especially from smaller units. Some of the profits from the sale of the portfolio are going to King George's Fund for Sailors, to which £1,000 has already been given from advance sales, The book may be obtained direct from the publishers at £4.95 (including

A similar booklet. ''75 Days of Confilet" has been published by Confex (Sales). Grange Yard. The Grange. London SEI3AG, price £1.95 plus 25p postage. This is not so comprehensive in coverage as the portfolio, but has the advantage of having many of the illustrations in colour, printed on top quality art paper. The South Atlantic Fund is benefiting from a share of the profits. In a foreword, Rear-Admiral Martin Lx. Touche Wentyss says the British armed forces achieved a remarkable military success 8,fXX) miles away from home. "I sincerely hope that diplomacy will take the place of armed conflict," he says. "but the concern of this handsome publication is not to speculate on the future but to commemorate the recent past."

War of words After the war has come the war of words about words. The correspondents on the spot have been highly critical of the censorship difficulties placed in their way. Dispatches from two of them. Brian Hanrahan and Robert Fox

crc heard by

Rain of death

Hundreds of archers could produce a fearful swishing rain of death, bringing havoc to the French and Genoesc long before the opposing ships actually collided. Savage hand-

THE ORGANISATION, assembly arid provisioning of the British Task Force was the one aspect of the war in the Falklands to draw total admiration from a watching world, but the full scope of the enterprise is probably only vaguely understood. At the drop of a hat we went to war, in a spot demanding the maximum efficiency. and expertise in supply. An excellent idea of what was involved is given in ---Falklands: Task Force Portfolio," edited by Mike Critchley, and published by Maritime Books, l.iskeard, Cornwall PLI4 41'E (price £3.95). The soft-hacked book has a handsome cover, and contains a pictorial record of the operation. Though many of the Pielures are familiar, having been seen in newspapers or taken from libraries, in total they form a historical record indicatins the massive problem which faced Britain. Mr Critchley pays special tribute to the Directorate of Public Relations (Navy) for their help in assembling the photographic material, and mentions that he hopes to publish many more action shots in a part 2 volume. He would welcome help with

"Operation Music Maker," b' John Trendell. available front the Director. Royal Marines Museum, Southsea, Hants P04 9PX. price £3.50 (plus (rOp postage). The book tells the story of Royal Marines hands. It is the second edition, which has been updated, even to the extent of a postscript on the involvement of RM bands in the Falklands operations. "A Tradition of Victory," by Alexander Kent, an Arrow paperback by that master storyteller - otherwise known of course as Douglas Reeman. He has written 22 novels under his own name and 14 Bolitho novels as Alexander Kent, giving him an envied reputation for his exciting style and authentic detail.

PICTURE STORY OF HOW WE WENT TO WAR

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to-hand fighting ensued. By dusk Edward reckoned that only 5,000 enemy survived of the 40,000 who began the battle. It ended the threat of a French invasion. Other sovereigns, while playing a much less active part, were nonetheless a great influence on the growth of English maritime power. Henry VII was called with some justification ''Father of the English Navy." The author has produced a fascinating book on the long association between the Royals and the Service.

"The River Running By," a Fonrana paperback by former naval officer Gidley Wheeler who has written extensively for television, and has now produced his first novel under the name "Charles Gidley," It is a story of family drama set among the English community in Portugal.

The Aerofilms book of "Britain From The Air," by Bernard Storehouse, published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson (price £14.95). The cost may seem high, but this is an exceptional volume of great size, quality-produced, and containing 152 colour photographs of breath-taking beauty. The reader is taken on a flight around the United Kingdom and Channel Islands. viewing the tapestry which is our land. Rare and Out of Print

NAVAL AND MARITiME BOOKS Send SAE 9'x 6' for regular non. repetitive lists featuring all aspects of Ships and the Sea Frank Smith 60 Salisbury Avenue. North Shialds, and Wow NE29 9PF Tyne Telephone 0632 596080

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Cheque book! CPO(Phot) Alan Fowler, one of the Royal Navy photographers who has pictures used in the book "Falklands: Task Force Portfolio," presenting a cheque from the publishers to Lleut,-Cdr. John DymockMaunsell, RN, (raid) representing King George's Fund for Sailors. GPO Fowler was on board the ill-fated Atlantic Conveyor when she was struck by an Exocet missile.

millions on television and radio as an anxious nation sought news of what was happening. Their reports have been compiled and edited by John Heuston, BBC editor of information and research, to form a paperback "I Counted Them Out and 1 Counted Them All Back," published by the BBC (price £1.95). The title has been taken from the report of the first raid by Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes on Falklands airfields. That message brought cheer in the suspense at home, but hopes of an easy

victory were soon dashed by the subsequent naval losses. However, despite the shock and surprise of Bomb Alley, it still took only one more week to force the surrender at Port Stanley.

Robert Fox is quoted as saying afterwards: ---The outstanding feature of the Falklands fighting was that it was such an enclosed affair, remote, private to a few thousand people, and brief." The censorship and absence of picture coverage helped to make certain of that.

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