| Publications
written/edited by Captain Jack Broome D.S.C., R.N. (retd) |
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| Make
A Signal! |
Published:
1955 / Putnam |
ISBN:
n/a |
Abridged sleeve
notes: Everybody who is old enough to appreciate "England expects
...." knows some story about Naval Signals. Their terseness has
a way of being memorable. Often they are changed with the whole shape
of a critical sea situation, to be transmitted in a few words readily
understandable to all. At other times a single 'hoist' of flags can
make a whole fleet laugh. Make a Signal! is a collection of
signals, famous and infamous, made in, to, or about the Royal Navy.
The author has made the book something more than this, by bringing
his own digressions on the qualities that govern them. Captain Jack
Broome retells many sea battles, from Salamis to the chase of the
Bismarck, in terms of the signals that were made on both sides
He also revives some controversies that have blown up over famous
signals - the Beresford-Scott row that divided the Navy; the Channel
escape of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau; the scattering
of Convoy P.Q.17. He records many signals made in lighter moods, and
decorates them aptly. |
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| McTuff
at the top |
Published:
1961 / Putnam |
ISBN:
n/a |
Abridged sleeve
notes: A take-over bid for the Royal Navy? Unthinkable you'll say
(especially if you're an Admiral), the Fleet's not like a brewery
or a chain of shoe shops. Or is it? Angus McTuff is not so sure, bouncy
little Scottish tycoon that he is. He's always on the lookout for
a well established concern that is beginning to show the signs of
age, fat and complacency. When he spots one, he waits for the exact
moment when it is ripe for take-over - and moves in. One day his dazzling
daughter Susan takes him to lunch in a frigate (Commanding Officer,
her boyfriend, Jim) and Angus is immediately fascinated by the number
of superfluous people, the pomp, the old-fashioned bells and brass
polish, the masses of expensive equipment, standing idle and unproductive.
He recognises the telltale signs. So his bid goes into the Board of
Admiralty.... Captain Jack Broome has written a hilarious fantasy
about the Navy and the modern world: and, who knows in these days
of ever-changing threats.... |
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| Convoy
is to Scatter |
Published:
1972 - William Kimber |
ISBN:
7183 0332 6 |
Abridged sleeve
notes: This book introduces a new method of presenting naval history.
The operational sequence of actual signals received or exchanged by
Convoy P.Q.17 from June 27th until July 4th 1942 is reproduced verbatim.
These signals reflect the story of the convoy of thirty-five Allied
merchants ships that was bound for Russia carrying arms supplies at
a critical phase of the war. With a close escort of six destroyers
and other Royal Navy vessels, the convoy embarked on its voyage to
Archangel knowing that it would be the most determined attack by German
U-boats and the German air force. On July 4th the Admiralty in the
mistaken belief that the Tirpitz and other German warships
were about to attack, ordered the convoy to scatter. The disastrous
result of this order is well-known. The merchant vessels were an easy
target for the German submarines. Only eleven reached Russian ports.
Captain Broome was Senior Officer of the close escort. A brief synopsis
of this event may be found here. |
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| Make
Another Signal |
Published:
1973 / William Kimber |
ISBN:
0718301935 |
Abridged sleeve
notes: Signalling at sea started when ships found themselves beyond
shouting distance from one another. Today it has developed to the
point when a fleet could be manoeuvred on another planet by means
of radio telephone and television set. Through all it's restless stages
of progress signal communication has been the Royal Navy's lifeblood.
Make Another Signal is an anthology of signals from the
logs of our warships past and present; some recapture the tension
of a sea fight by on the spot signal commentary; others pinpoint and
illuminate great naval moments. Then there are examples of how close
or how far apart two minds concerned with the same problem - but separated
by distance - can be. Add to this a large and varied collection of
wit, drama, fun, sarcasm and pomposity which at some time has been
flagged, flashed or tapped through the ether - each message having
in common a thought in mind of the sender at some past moment which
has been served fresh..... |
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| Services
Wrendered |
Published:
1974 / William Kimber |
ISBN:
0718 0373 3 |
Abridged sleeve
notes: Records of World War II are incomplete without a tribute to
the 'Fighting Services Title-Abbreviating Department', and the inspired
mind therein which christened the Women's Royal Navy Service the WRENS.
Surely that dedicated brood - such invaluable handmaidens to Britannia
in her wave-ruling activities - owes something to such a delightful
title. Captain Jack Broome also feels indebted to that Department
for enabling him to call his gay, witty book of illustrated verses
about fledglings Services Wrendered. IN their many roles, in
dockyards, on parade grounds, driving cars, teleprinters or motor
boats with such enthusiasm and apparent awe for naval tradition, gold
braid and authority, there remained that beautifully balanced, built-in,
not-so-subservience. 'Even as they became increasingly amphibious',
the author concludes, 'not a single seagull showed jealousy.' |
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| Further
Reading |
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| Freedom's
Battle Volume 1: |
Edited
by John Winton |
ISBN:
n/a |
| .........The
War at Sea 1939-45 |
Published:
1967 |
Publisher:
Hutchinson |
Abridged sleeve
notes: Far more than the First, the Second World War produced hundreds
of actions and incidents at sea which were packed with drama and suspense,
and which evoked the highest heroism. Here is a generous selection
of personal experience - written by the men (and women) who were there:
in the British and Commonwealth Navies, the Fleet Air Arm, the Merchant
Navy, or ashore. Names which have passed into history - Narvik, Dunkirk,
the River Plate, Taranto, the Bismarck, Crete, the Battle of
the Atlantic, the Russian Convoys - all these and many others are
reflected in eye-witness accounts (some classics of their kind; others
little known or previously unpublished). Few books can contain so
much that is exciting and so much that is heroic. Foreword
by Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Mountbatten. |
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| The
Seven Lives of Lady Barker |
Author:
Betty Gilderdale |
ISBN:
1 86953 289 9 |
| |
Published:
1996 |
Publisher:
Bateman |
Abridged sleeve
notes: The compelling biography of Lady Mary Barker is a fascinating
account of a Victorian women, who through the course of her much-travelled
life lived in England, India, New Zealand, South Africa Mauritius,
Australia and Trinidad. Momentous historical events of the period,
such as the Indian Mutiny and the Zulu Wars, all directly impacted
upon her personal life and resulted in domestic upheavals which only
a women of her adventurous spirit could have withstood and recorded
with a degree of equanimity. The Seven Lives of Lady Barker
is the first full account of her rich and sometimes turbulent experiences.
Yet despite many upheavals and constraints of the mid-Victorian period,
this capable and highly intelligent woman managed to write eighteen
books, edit one of the prototypes of today's women's magazines, review
for The Times of London, quite apart from bearing six children. |
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