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DESTROYER LEADER (the story of HMS Faulknor 1934-46)
H/B 1968 (SBN 7188 0041 6); P/B 1974.(SBN 450 01951 9); 3rd UK Editon H/B due from Pen & Sword Publishing, February 2005. ISBN 1 844 151 21 2 (@ circa £25-00); USA Edition published by Casemate Publications, New York circa US$50.00
"The hardest worked destroyer in the Fleet" This was the title given to H.M.S. Faulknor by the Royal Navy during World War II. She led the "F" Class destroyers of the Royal Navy from the first day of the war until the very last and the whole time was in the forefront of the war at sea. She sank the first ever German U-boat to be destroyed in September, 1939; fought off Norway; served with distinction with Force "H" in the Mediterranean; fought at the Battle of Spartivento; outfaced the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the Atlantic; served on the bitter Russia convoys; was at the key turning of the Battle of the Atlantic; accepted the surrender of the Italian fleet; fought at Salerno and Anzio; was in the thick of the Aegean fighting and destroyed an Axis convoy; fought at Normandy and conveyed General Montgomery, and a host of others, to the beachead; escorted monster liners carrying troops from America and was at the liberation of the Channel Islands.
Her story is that of the Royal Navy's destroyer forces in World War II and told from official document, eyewitness accounts and the words of her commanders and crew. The HMS Faulknor Assocation, of which the Author is a honorary member, formed after the publication of the first edition of the book, is one of the oldest, and best subscribed, and continues to keep the name of this doughty little ship alive. Many Black & White photographs and six colour plates.
Derek G. Law, MA, Dip.Lib, A.L.A., Librarian, King's College, London, wrote of this book "A model of its kind by one of the best naval historians of the period." Now, this unique book has now been vastly expanded and enlarged to become the ultimate warship biography. "Warship World" describes it as, "a gem of a book," adding "If you have read the first edition, treat it as a taster - this is very much the main event. Highly recommended." The NHCRA "Review" calls the new edition, "a classic of its type and is a thoroughly recommended for your bookshelf." Marine News was equally enthusiastic, "Peter Smith has meticulously researched the official records.....and has produced a highly detailed and readable account." Also 'The Nautical Magazine' expresses the opinion that: "It is good that there is a record of what these ships and men fought through and achieved." Adding, "The author's account of the tasks this ship performed in five years of war is prodigiuous in its detail."
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