The Royal Navy's Reserves in War & Peace, 1903–2003


Book Description

The official volume marking the centenary of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, known as the 'Wavy Navy' because of the distinctive wavy gold stripes on the reservists' uniforms, from its formation in 1903 through its unification with the mercantile Royal Reserve in 1958, and on to its present complete integration with the Royal Navy as 'the part-time element of a single naval service'.It charts the difficulties, setbacks and delights of the reservists' peacetime years of service and chronicles their vital contributions during wartime.Since the end of the Cold War and the dramatic near-dissolution of the RNR in 1994, members of the modernized part-time volunteer service have served in many different RN operations at sea, on land and in the air, from the Balkans to the Gulf.This detailed and vivid history which and profusely illustrated is by a distinguished writer of naval history who served in the modern RNR both as a rating and an officer for over eleven years.




Decision Points


Book Description

Using hard power in the context of an expanding set of threats is complex, expensive and risky. European medium powers, especially, must make tough choices on the future capabilities, roles and equipment of their armed forces, as well as their ability to act independently of alliance partners. Decision Points: Rationalising the Armed Forces of European Medium Powers examines these trade-offs and calls for policymakers to approach each key decision on the future of their country’s armed forces with a clearer sense of the consequences for the state’s foreign policy.




Britannia's Dragon


Book Description

Based on extensive research, The Naval History of Wales tells a compelling story that spans nearly 2,000 years, from the Romans to the present. Many Welsh men and women have served in the Royal Navy and the navies of other countries. Welshmen played major parts in voyages of exploration, in the navy's suppression of the slave trade, and in naval warfare from the Viking era to the Spanish Armada, in the American Civil War, both world wars and the Falklands War. Comprehensive, enlightening, and provocative, The Naval History of Wales also explodes many myths about Welsh history, naval historian J.D. Davies arguing that most Welshmen in the sailing navy were volunteers and that, relative to the size of national populations, proportionately more Welsh seamen than English fought at Trafalgar. Written in vivid detail, this volume is one that no maritime or Welsh historian can do without.




The Mariner's Mirror


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Ships Monthly


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To Employ and Uplift Them


Book Description

To Employ and Uplift Them is a social and economic history of the Newfoundland branch of the Royal Naval Reserve. Established in 1900, the Newfoundland reserve provided part-time employment to fishermen and trained them to be Royal Navy sailors during war. Imperialists and the Newfoundland government hoped that the unit would alleviate outport unemployment and make Newfoundlanders better subjects. But the system had to contend with the British Treasury Office's scrutiny and the Admiralty's strategic objectives. In the end, Newfoundland reservists filled many roles during World War I, but London's post-war fiscal restraint terminated the Newfoundland reserve in the 1920s.







Forthcoming Books


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Sea Breezes


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Small Wars


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