Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book
    The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book
    The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book
    Ebook359 pages4 hours

    The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book

    By Brian Lavery

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    ""The art of command is…to be the complete master, and yet the complete friend of every man on board; the temporal lord and yet the spiritual brother of every rating; to be detached and yet not dissociated.'
    A Seaman's Pocket-Book, 1943', has found huge appeal with the British public. Presented in the same format, the Officer's Handbook gathers together useful advice and instruction for those naval officers fighting the Second World War on all aspects of their job, expressed in the benevolent language of the day, when authority was respected.
    The Handbook has been compiled and edited by Brian Lavery, who provides commentary and an introduction. Sections include: the Officer's Aid Memoire containing notes of the training course at one of the officer training schools; Notes for medical officers and treatment of battle casualties afloat; Notes for captains on taking command of their first ship; Notes for commanding officers; Notes on the handling and safety of ships and notes on dealing with disobedience and mutiny.
    While suffused with nostalgia and charm, the various contents of this book are an authentic presentation of matters of training, authority and deportment in the wartime navy. The book is sure to appeal not only to those who served in the war or had a relative who was in the officer class, but also to anyone who wants to gain a greater understanding of the day-to-day administration of the wartime navy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateJan 25, 2018
    ISBN9781472834102
    The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book
    Author

    Brian Lavery

    Brian Lavery is one of Britain's leading naval historians and a prolific author. A Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and a renowned expert on the sailing navy and the Royal Navy, in 2007 he won the prestigious Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award. His naval writing was further honoured in 2008 with the Society of Nautical Research's Anderson Medal. His recent titles include Ship (2006), Royal Tars (2010), Conquest of the Ocean (2013), In Which They Served (2008), Churchill's Navy (2006), and the Sunday Times bestseller Empire of the Seas (2010).

    Read more from Brian Lavery

    Related to The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book

    Related ebooks

    Wars & Military For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Perfect Trap

      Jan 7, 2020

      The Perfect Trap
      10 min read

    • Article

      Work And Pleasure

      Jun 10, 2021

      Work And Pleasure
      9 min read

    • Article

      Naval Strength In Reserve

      Jun 10, 2022

      Naval Strength In Reserve
      6 min read

    • Article

      Royal Naval division

      Jul 25, 2023

      Royal Naval division
      4 min read

    • Article

      Soldiers On The High Seas

      Mar 1, 2022

      Soldiers On The High Seas
      2 min read

    • Article

      Death of The Wolf Packs

      Mar 14, 2024

      Death of The Wolf Packs
      12 min read

    • Article

      Products& innovation Seeing Those Who would Pass

      Jun 16, 2022

      By 1942, the Germany was winning the ongoing Battle of the Atlantic. The unterseeboots of the Kriegsmarine were slowly strangling Britain by sending tonnes and tonnes of shipping and the vital supplies to the bottom of the ocean. Britain was all but

      3 min read

    • Article

      At War In nelson’s Navy

      Jun 9, 2022

      At War In nelson’s Navy
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Forgotten Fleet - The Story of the British Pacific Fleet, 1944-45

      Dec 8, 2023

      By John Winton ISBN: 978-1800555099 (Sapere Books, 2022) - £18.99 When one thinks of World War II in the Pacific, they think of carriers - the Enterprise or the Essex. There are the battles between warships north of Guadalcanal: Japanese and American

      3 min read

    • Article

      Hms Prince Of Wales “I Serve”

      Dec 22, 2023

      HMS Prince of Wales was the second of five King George V class battleships to be built for the Royal Navy. She was to be named King Edward VIII, but as a result of the infamous abdication this was changed to Prince of Wales. She was laid down on 1 Ja

      5 min read

    • Article

      3 The Big Conversions

      Jun 24, 2022

      3 The Big Conversions
      7 min read

    • Article

      Changing Of The Guard

      Jan 18, 2024

      Changing Of The Guard
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Royal Marines

      May 4, 2021

      The Royal Marines
      5 min read

    • Article

      War Horsa

      Aug 15, 2019

      War Horsa
      7 min read

    • Article

      Falklands Conflict

      May 3, 2023

      Too Thin for a Shroud By Crispin Black Gibson Square £20 On 8th June 1982, during the Falklands conflict, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Sir Galahad was bombed in Port Pleasant by Argentine aircraft with the loss of 48 personnel, including 32 men from the

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Convoy That Saved Malta

      Mar 23, 2020

      The Convoy That Saved Malta
      4 min read

    • Article

      Ships Library

      Dec 22, 2023

      Ships Library
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Mighty Eighth Over Europe

      Jan 18, 2024

      The Mighty Eighth Over Europe
      10 min read

    • Article

      Fast And Furious

      Apr 5, 2022

      Fast And Furious
      13 min read

    • Article

      War Emergency Destroyers

      Sep 29, 2023

      War Emergency Destroyers
      2 min read

    • Article

      19th-century Navy Records

      Jul 28, 2020

      19th-century Navy Records
      5 min read

    • Article

      Topgun, 1969

      Jun 4, 2019

      Topgun, 1969
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Forgotten Many

      Sep 6, 2018

      The Forgotten Many
      14 min read

    • Article

      Nautical Apprentices

      Oct 20, 2020

      Nautical Apprentices
      3 min read

    • Article

      Seven Proud Decades

      Apr 13, 2023

      By the end of the Second World War, Britain’s Royal Navy was at the peak of its powers, emerging victorious despite immense adversity in the Pacific, Mediterranean and Atlantic theatres. However, this supremacy on the waves was followed by a period o

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Royal Navy Officer's Pocket-Book - Brian Lavery

      CHAPTER I

      OFFICER’S AIDE MEMOIRE

      HMS King Alfred, September 1943

      This book is intended principally for the use of the young executive officer, who finds himself for the first time in a position of responsibility in service surroundings which are quite unlike anything he has encountered before. It is intended as a guide, both theoretical and practical, which will be useful until sufficient experience has been gained to make certain knowledge second nature.

      The Leadership Section has been written with the idea of giving a helping hand to those who have the will to succeed and who may be groping in the dark for a lead of some sort towards the attainment of their ambition. It has been compiled from various sources which may be recognised by their authors whose help is gratefully acknowledged.

      The remainder of the book contains advice and references of a more concrete nature concerning the everyday work of a Naval Officer which no amount of experience renders altogether dispensable.

      J. N. PELLY,

      Captain.

      1: LEADERSHIP

      Leadership is the one attribute which is common and necessary to all who wear the uniform of an officer in His Majesty’s Forces, whatever their technical qualifications. It is also the one attribute which cannot be learnt in a classroom or from a textbook. An inexperienced officer can assimilate a reasonable amount of technical knowledge through the medium of tuition and textbooks, which can be increased by experience. That is a comparatively simple procedure by contrast with attaining the art of leadership, which rests so much with the personality of the individual concerned. Some are born great—to them the ability to lead presents no difficulty—others have greatness thrust upon them. Some of these have latent powers of leadership, and others have these powers to a limited extent only, which is a worry to them.

      To develop the first essential of leadership, which is self confidence, must be a matter of practical experience, possibly painful to endure, demanding courage and the will to avoid the shadow and to come out into the light.

      Never forget that the Ratings have few rights; but they definitely have got a right to good Officers.

      BEARING AND EXAMPLE

      Be smart and alert in your bearing, and always be meticulous about your dress.

      Develop your voice and word of command.

      Your demeanour should be cheerful and enthusiastic—it is your business to inspire enthusiasm and pride of ship and Service. Never appear bored or fed up, however irksome the work may be. The British have a capacity for cheerfulness in adversity. Give this a chance; it is infectious.

      Never allow panic to show in your voice or manner; there is an ever-present tendency in your men to turn to an Officer for their cue in

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1