The Arrival of the Imperial German Navy  on the World’s Oceans November 30th 2018 saw the publication of the seventh novel in the Dawlish Chronicles series, Britannia’s Mission. Like all books in the series, the plot and action are linked to real events, persons and political developments. Set in 1883, one of the major themes is [...]

Hazards of suppressing the Slave Trade, 1847 Britain’s legal abolition of her slave trade in 1807 is one of the most admirable actions in her history, making it illegal for British subjects to deal in slaves or to carry them in British ships. The penalty for so doing was initially only a fine but [...]

Mrs. Reston, the Heroine of Matagorda, 1810 In historical fiction (including my own) women tend to turn up in the most extraordinary situations and bear heavy responsibilities, to an extent which may seem fanciful to many today, given the idea many have of women’s role being so subservient during much of the past. One example [...]

Naval Artists of the 18th Century – Part 4 Richard Paton (1717 – 1791) In the previous parts of this occasional series I commented on the fact that so many of the artists of the Age of Fighting Sail who left us the paintings that have formed our mental images of warfare in that era, [...]

Sailing Craft versus U-Boats in World War 1 Though the “Age of Fighting Sail” ended around 1840 as regards major warships, small sailing craft were to play a very important role in World War 1 in Britain’s battle against Germany’s U-Boats.  One such heroine craft was the Lowestoft fishing smack Telesia, which was conscripted into [...]

HMS Britannia and HMS Ascot  The Royal Navy’s last losses of WW1 In two day’s time, on November 11th 2018, the armistice that ended the westerns Allies’ war with Germany will be remembered. Negotiation of the terms had been underway since November 8th and though the terms were argued over there was no doubt [...]

First Blood 1778: Belle Poule and HMS Arethusa In reading about the classic Age of Fighting Sail – roughly 1700 to 1830 – one is struck by the fact that encounters between the British and French navies had an almost monotonous aspect in that the British almost invariable won and the French almost invariably [...]