When Brian Lavery set out to write about
the men who
manned
the lower deck of British warships, he expected to tell
their whole
story. The
more he delved into the factors influencing how these
essential seamen
evolved,
the more he realized he could not do so in a single volume
that
included the
past all the way to the present.
This first volume discusses this aspect of naval history
from the first record of England establishing a navy under
King Alfred
through
the first steam warships and the establishment of training
schools for
seamen. He
divides the material into seven periods:
- The Early Seaman, before 1642
- Civil War and Dutch Wars, 1642 to 1689
- European War, 1689 to 1739
- Imperial War, 1739 to 1783
- The Crisis, 1783 to 1803
- A Large Fleet in a Long War, 1803 to 1815
- The Long Peace, 1815 to 1850
Within each chapter, he explores the average
seaman’s
character, skills, daily routine, and his attitudes toward
those he
served under
and the regulations that affected his life. Lavery
demonstrates how
these men
also changed history’s course on occasion, and uses their
first-hand
accounts,
where available, of the battles in which they fought. In
addition to
the
introduction and conclusion, the book includes an appendix
(Tracing
Naval
Ratings), glossary, notes, bibliography, and index. Where
appropriate
the
reader will find maps and diagrams that illustrate various
aspects of
the
material. There are also several sections of drawings and
paintings to
further
enhance the content.
Lavery
has produced a
readable and compelling account of these men who have
often been
overlooked,
but were essential, to the Royal Navy. The narrative
clearly shows the
wealth
of primary documents and exhaustive research he did to
track down this
information. Royal Tars not only shows
how the
lower deck, which did not initially exist, developed, but
also dispels
the
stereotypical description commonly associated with seamen.
Review Copyrighted ©2011
Cindy Vallar
Click on the Cannon to Contact Me
Pirates
and Privateers
