The first book by Ludovic Kennedy, later Sir Ludovic Kennedy (1919-2009), Scottish journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author, son of Captain E C Kennedy RN who was lost with his ship, HMS Rawalpindi, in a celebrated action in Oct 1939. The book covers his early years at Preparatory School, Eton and Oxford - and holidays and home in Scotland - before his volunteering to join the Royal Navy in the first months of the Second World War. He began his naval service at HMS King Alfred, in Hove, as a Midshipman in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). He writes of his father's service in the Armed Merchant Cruiser and includes the text of letters between him and his father. Much of his early service was as a Sub-Lieutenant in the Tribal Class destroyer HMS Tartar (1937) - he served in her from Mar 1940 to Apr 1942. Kennedy was promoted Temporary Lieutenant in Jul 1942 and this book was published in Oct 1942. With security a paramount concern, he refers to her as HMS T----- and to other ships in a similar way, HMS H----- and so on (HMS H----- is HMS H31, an old submarine, one of the H class assigned to training duties); a sister Tribal class destroyer, HMS M-----, the loss of which he writes about, is HMS Mashona (Commander William H Selby RN - ship lost 28 May 1941) and HMS B----- is probably sister ship HMS Bedouin. Like most destroyers, HMS Tartar - 'Lucky Tartar' - was busy, seeing action in the waters off Norway in 1940 (Molde is almost certainly the town he names as M----- and the transport ship U----- was HMT Ulster Prince; the refit at D----- was in Devonport). HMS Tartar took part in the Lofoten Raid (Operation Claymore, 4 Mar 1941) and was at Spitzbergen (Operation Gauntlet, Aug-Sep 1941). HMS P----- is almost certainly HMS Punjabi.

In the final pages of his memoir, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is on board having transferred from HMS Prince of Wales, off Iceland, after his Atlantic Charter meeting with President Roosevelt. Full details of the movements of HMS Tartar are at https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-34Tribal-HMS_Tartar.htm + https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4229.html.

By the end of May 1941 (637 days of war), HMS Tartar held two records. She was the first British destroyer to have spent 200 days at sea in the Second World War and the first to have steamed 100,000 nautical miles since the start of the war. For most of Ludovic Kennedy's time in HMS Tartar, her captain was Commander Lionel Peyton Skipwith RN (1902-1978).

Ludo's is a tale well told, war at sea for two years through the eyes of a young officer who had lost his father in the first weeks of the war; it includes a number of black and white plates - but how I wish there was an index! ( )