WHO REALLY RULED THE VAST, COLD ATLANTIC IN WWII? WHY EVERYONE KNOWS, THE RNVSR,THAT’S WHO!For an overpowering, first-rate read of an overlooked World War II story of how and why 2,000brave amateur sailors volunteered to fight in the Royal Navy’s Volunteer SupplementaryReserve (RNVSR), an organization of which they knew little, had no idea what was expected,and for how long they would serve. All they knew for certain was they wanted to serve, offeringtheir lives up, if necessary, for the safety and security of their beloved demi-paradise, theirGreat Britain . . .“People ashore don’t realize what a grim war we are waging at seawith the Germans. A cold-blooded war, in a way I think requiring themaximum of courage from the men of both sides in the long run, asit so ceaseless and intangible. You just don’t know whether the nextmoment will be your last. . .”Lt. Commander Robert Hichens, killedIn action 13 April 1943“UNCOMMON COURAGE – – The Yachtsmen Volunteers of World War II”, by Julia Jones.ADLARD COLES Publishing, Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc: 2022, 310 pages, hc; $28. Visit:www.ospreypublishing.com, or email, info@ospreypublishing.com.During WWII, Britain’s Royal Navy had to increase almost eightfold in the distinct possibility ofa German invasion, almost daily Luftwaffe bombings, and the need to carry out campaigns inthe Atlantic, Middle East, and Far East. To recruit officers for this force it had to move welloutside its normal supply of men and teenagers trained as young as 13. As in World War I, “theReserve” realized the urgency to search for yachtsmen, signing them up, and giving the basicfundamentals and naval discipline before launching them into sea. Then, it sent possible youngofficers as models for ordinary volunteer seamen in sailing, fighting, surviving, and fightingagain in often badly damaged destroyers. No matter how you cut it, life at sea between 1September 1939, and 3 May 1945 was as perilous as it could get. Anyone who knew anythingabout seamanship was needed on deck.Now, the daughter of one of Britain’s first volunteers in the RNVSR portrays dad, as well asthousands of similar mates, at extraordinary heroism and sacrifice commanding, sailoring, and
battling in destroyers, submarines, and undertaking covert missions of sabotage. Some
undertook the daily drudgery of minesweeping, others tackled unexploded bombs, engaged inhighspeed attack or played roles as intelligence commandos. As author Julia Jones so rivetinglynarrates, these volunteer crews required endurance, resourcefulness, and quick thinking. Manydied in the process, but for those who survived, their experiences inevitably changed themforever. Surviving WWII to the bitter end, each felt the same, first, family and country, then, themoment Peace was declared, the return to the pastime pleasure of cruising action in ornavigating yachts, or any one of various types of relatively small vessels.As for the author of this much-appreciated work, unexcelled other than its peer, “In WhichThey Served – The Royal Navy Officer Experience in the Second World War”, by Brian Lavery(Naval Institute Press), Julia Jones is an English writer, editor, and classic yacht owner whosefather, as mentioned, served in the RNVSR from the beginning. She is the Literary Contributorfor Yachting Monthly Magazine. Julia’s love of the sea began at the age of three when herparents bought her Arthur Ransome’s yacht, Peter Duck. She says her berth on board PeterDuck was the snuggest place in the world for reading and writing and dreaming of the sea.From such experiences she later was compelled to write her “Strong Winds” series of sailingadventures. After being introduced to the River Deben at birth, she says she will forever remain
an unashamedly English East Coast sailor.
