Lost Voices of the Royal Navy: Vivid Eyewitness Accounts of Life in the Royal Navy from 1914-1945

by Max Arthur

Acclaimed historian Max Arthur pays tribute to the Royal Navy from 1914 to 1945. Drawing on the personal stories of those who have served during this period, he has created a unique narrative history of the senior service. "Forgotten The Royal Navy" is a memorable and moving testament to the courage, spirit, skill and irrepressible humour of those who served in the Royal Navy during these crucial years.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, World War II, World War I

576 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2005

About the author

Max Arthur is an author who specialises in first-hand recollections of historical events. He has worked closely with the Imperial War Museum to bring together two books in the Forgotten Voices series, Forgotten Voices of the Great War and Forgotten Voices of the Second World War. Prior to becoming a writer, he served with the Royal Air Force and for some years was an actor.

Reviews

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book features personal accounts of several members of the Royal Navy. They talk about their personal experiences serving in the Navy from World War I to World War II and the time period in between. I really enjoy personal accounts like this. I think they are valuable for the historical record and the human perspective. There were some really interesting experiences that were shared in this book, and I am glad that I ran across it and picked it up.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2005, Lost Voices of the Royal Navy is derived from a two volume work published in 1996-1997 covering the periods 1914-1939 and 1939 to the present respectively. The significant change made to the more recent publication is the omission of post-WW2 references. The book comprises eyewitness accounts from Royal Navy veterans covering their experiences from 1914-1945, and is one of a number of publications of this ilk - including quite a few edited by Max Arthur. The difference that Max Arthur makes, compared to editors of some similar publications, is that he does make some attempt at vetting the accounts for accuracy and relevance to the periods represented - after all, some of these accounts may have been recorded by very elderly men and women who, with the best of intentions, may misremember some things after all this time. The process has worked well, as the accounts are just amazing with only the occasional typo to gripe about.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of Royal and Merchant navy accounts from the wars and between. Not all of the accounts can be considered lost, but it remains an excellent collection. What comes across most starkly is the periods of immense terror that must have been felt by those at sea on sinking ships. The breadth of the war at sea, in both wars, is covered here, the small operations, largely unknown, and the major battles such as the sinking of the Bismarck.

The lost / forgotten voices style books are not histories of the wars they cover, they often lack some of the historical context to the events, but do provide a deep insight into the personal experiences, not the high strategy, of those who experienced them.

[Ian Hallam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read which is a collection of the oral histories of many Royal Navy personnel along with some Merchant Navy & Royal Marine testimonies from both world wars. Some of the testimonies are a only a paragraph or so and some several pages but I found the book easy to read and I learnt a lot from reading it.

[Geoffrey W · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history of the RN from the pens of those who lived it

A brilliant collection of personal experiences from below decks through to the captain's cabin. The best value kindle book I have bought to date.

[Robin Braysher · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of accounts of service in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. There are some truly awful ways of dying at sea!

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable and enlightening read with first hand experiences of some of the events which I had heard or read about. Previously the naval actions had been written about giving casualties and ships lost in battle. These accounts brings home to the reader the courage and tenacity of the sailors and marines who took part and the dreadful injuries and high fatalaties that were suffered. The surprise being is how they carried on especially in our present time when a hundred dead in a campaign would be considered an absolute disaster. The other rather sobering fact is that nearly all the people who contributed their stories are now dead.