WW1 admiral who helped secure peace
‘Rosy' Wemyss, Admiral of the Fleet, by John Johnson-Allen
November is, as always, a time for remembering those who have died in war – including so many Royal Navy and Merchant Navy seafarers.
Each year, Remembrance Day falls on 11 November thanks to the work of Admiral Rosslyn 'Rosy' Wemyss, a key figure in negotiating an end to First World War hostilities with the Germans in 1918. He is the subject of a new biography by John Johnson-Allen, which gives an account both of Admiral Wemyss's distinguished career and his role during a turbulent time for the Royal Navy.
Wemyss was one of the reformers who adapted the Navy technologically and socially from a Victorian institution still rooted in the Age of Sail – full of ships 'too old to fight and too slow to run away' – to a modern fleet staffed by professionals. The book gives interesting accounts of his work in maritime education; his voyages; his war service, including his successful evacuation of Gallipoli and support for Lawrence of Arabia; and the armistice negotiations on the Western Front.
Throughout the book, Rosy comes across as a far-sighted officer, a natural leader, and a humane man – admired by both his adversaries and his friends. Though he survived the war, he, too, should be remembered on 11 November for his part in bringing it to an end.
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Unexpected family fallout from the Titanic disaster
Titanic Legacy, by Dan E. ParkesDan Parkes, a filmmaker known for his 40 years of award-winning work on the Titanic, brings a different story to life in his first book, which explores the legacy of the disaster for the family of Captain Edward Smith – a member of the Nautilus predecessor union MMSA.
When the Merchant Navy goes to war
The QE2 in the Falklands War, by Commodore Ronald Warwick and David HumphreysWhen the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 became a STUFT (ship taken up from trade) in the 1982 Falklands War, the vessel's civilian crew were up for the challenge.
Crowning the latest Queen
Queen Anne: A Photographic Journey, by Chris Frame and Rachelle CrossThis glossy title celebrates the launch in May 2024 of the Queen Anne, Cunard's second largest ship, and the eighth 'Queen' in its fleet of luxury passenger vessels.
Passenger liners at their peak
The True Transatlantic Super-Liners, by David L. Williams and Richard P. De KerbrechThis captivating book transports the reader to a world before the advent of affordable air travel, when passenger liners ruled the Atlantic Ocean.