Books to Read

[bastonjock]

I'd recommend Sharpes Regiment. Part of it is set in Essex, round Foulness!

Phil

what i enjoyed best about sharpes triumph was the "setting the story right" by BC at the end,he painstakingly pointed out that wellingtons victory at Assaye was down to the Highlanders that he had and the sepoys.There are no monuments to this battle despite the loss of brittish soldiers,even today the locals still come accross the bones of the soldiers whilst they are farming

 

[bromleybysea]

She still is. Now painted green, though, not grey.

Not nautical, but Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" is one of the best books I've read for a very long time. Up for the Booker Prize and I'll be surprised if it doesn't win. (But don't let that put you off)

I really struggled to get into Wolf Hall beacause the "third person present" voice just dosen't work for me. Shame, because I "did" Thomas Cromwell at university and he's one of the most fascinating historical characters there is.

At the moment I am reading Bill Slim's account of the war in Burma (Defeat into Victory). Now re-issued by Pan. Its a very readable and compelling account of a now almost forgotten campaign by arguably Britain's best general in WW2

 

[bastonjock]

I really struggled to get into Wolf Hall beacause the "third person present" voice just dosen't work for me. Shame, because I "did" Thomas Cromwell at university and he's one of the most fascinating historical characters there is.

At the moment I am reading Bill Slim's account of the war in Burma (Defeat into Victory). Now re-issued by Pan. Its a very readable and compelling account of a now almost forgotten campaign by arguably Britain's best general in WW2

I think that Sim was the best battlefield commander that we had in WW2.

One thing that will not appear in his book is my uncles story.My Uncle was captured at the fall of Singapore,he was taken prisoner by the Japs,after about 6 months he had enough of is treatment so he escaped and headed off in the direction of Burma,my uncle was a staff sergeant in the medical core he was not a combat soldier.My grandparents at this time were unaware as to his status,either KIA,MIA or prisoner.One day a friend of his who was wounded and in hospital was reading a copy of Time magazine and there he was my uncle martin in Burma assisting the wounded accross a river,and thats how my grand parents found out that he was still alive after no news for almost 2 years.

 

[Saguday]

Currently reading "Transatlantic at last" by Helen Tew, comments as above! SWMBO read it first

Also enjoy Sam Llewellyns nautical romps, have only read a few so more to go at there.

The most important sailing book I ever read was "Two and a Half Ton Dream" by Ray Whitaker, written in 1959 I read it as a child of about 6 or 7, found it in Loughborough library just before I went for a two week holiday at my aunts in Hamble. Fid Harnack illustrated it and I spent the whole holiday (and years after) copying his drawings of this little Hillyard at anchor in the moonlight. I was mad about boats and sailing after that but it remained a frustrated dream for several decades. 40 odd years later I still think a proper boat has two round portholes a gaff rig and is called "Puffin" (I found myself calling them "Puffin boats" to my boys recently and have only just re-remembered why). I find it particularly ironic that the story was all set on the Blackwater around Maldon, Heybridge and West Mersea, places I had no idea about as a child - and then the first time I ever went there I was aged 42 and it was to buy our first cruiser. Funny old world...

Can't find it anywhere now, if anyone has a copy I'm an interested buyer.