In 1939 the Royal Navy was still the largest in the world and the most prestigious of the British armed services. Manning the ships and bases of the navy were more than 118,000 men, the vast majority seamen of 'the lower deck'. This is their story, from the Second World War - when the navy reached a record level of 790,000 men - via conscription and National Service to the present day. The book examines how the seaman adapted to enormous technical, social and operational changes. Proud of his long traditions, the seaman has had to adapt to a very different global and national situation. The Falklands War of 1982 provided the men of the navy with an opportunity to demonstrate that they had lost none of their prowess and courage since WW2, but in the new millennium the threat at sea comes less from nations and navies than from pirates and terrorists. In increasingly high-tech ships, special skills have come to the fore - expertise with electronics is now largely valued more than muscle power, gunnery or seamanship - resulting in a change of culture. As ever, class is particularly sensitive for the status of the lower deck, while the navy has had to fall into line with the rest of society and accept the rights of ethnic minorities and homosexuals. And the introduction of the women's service, the Wrens, eventually resulted in women serving alongside men at sea. The seagoing environment of the lower deck changed too: out went the rum ration, while hammocks disappeared, to be replaced by bunks. Based on primary research and first-hand accounts, the book examines these issues, including recruitment, training and uniform. Brian Lavery, the pre-eminent historian of the Royal Navy, returns with the third volume of his engaging social history of the Royal Navy's 'lower deck' ...the world of the seamen as distinct from the officers of the 'quarterdeck.' He examines the world of the sailor from the outbreak of war in 1939 through 70 years of change. Excellent colour photos such as the Hermes returning to an ecstatic welcome after the Falklands War, recruits training, naval uniforms, a "Tiddley Sailor" cartoon and more archive b/w photos. B/w and colour photos. 352 pages.
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