Sutton, paperback edition 1998; 150pp; £10.99
Examining a lesser-known side of the Royal Navy, the author clearly brings a personal sense of tradition and nostalgia to the pages. Old navy hands will find the descriptions of how the Royal Navy treated "boys" service in living memory at HMS Ganges bringing back their own memories. Though whether such memories will always be pleasant seems doubtful after reading this book. From Napoleonic times to the "teddy boy" era, the author tells how the navy recruited boys from many different backgrounds and built them into the men it wanted. The methods changed comparatively little over the years, while the outside world changed its views on teenagers greatly. The resulting book will satisfy the traditionalist looking for historical information and the casual reader with a wider interest in the history of social change, setting both against the common background of the sea and those who sail. -AJM
NB This review was originally written for the hardback first edition in 1996.