He Who Would Valiant Be: The Wartime Diary of Midshipman T. T. Lewin, HMS Valiant 1940

by Terry Lewin, His Royal Highness Foreword The Duke of Edinburgh, Tim Lewin

Overview

Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin was the last Military leader of Great Britain to serve throughout the entire duration of WW2. A career that culminated in his role as head of the British Armed Forces and a seat in the victorious Cabinet of Prime Minister Thatcher that restored British Sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. This important book is the very first step on that career path. Since the time of Nelson Midshipmen in the Royal Navy were obliged to keep a Journal, a record of the life, events and actions of the ship in which they served. Terry Lewin was posted as a 19-years old to HMS Valiant, a Jutland-era battleship in December 1930. This book faithfully reproduces his hand-written record of the first year of the War seen from a ship at sea. All Midshipmen kept a journal, not all Midshipmen went on to influence the development of the modern Navy to the extent achieved by Terry Lewin. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in WW2, and life in the Royal Navy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781783018390
Publisher:	Lewin of Greenwich Organisation Ltd.
Publication date:	11/19/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Terry Lewin joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1938, in less than a year he was at sea serving in a brand new cruiser, HMS Belfast, at war with Nazi Germany. Transferred to the battleship HMS Valiant in December 1939 he found himself at the centre of the action in the desperate attempt by Great Britain to prevent the Nazi invasion of Norway; then on to Valiant's role in the disablement of the French fleet at Mers El Kebir and the North Africa campaign to capture Tobruk and Benghazi from the Italian army. As a Midshipman he kept a journal, a daily account of life, and action, in the ship. This book reproduces faithfully his thoughts written down at the time. This was the first rung on a long ladder that would eventually, forty-two years later lead him to the pinnacle of his profession and a position in the War Cabinet of Prime Minister Thatcher and the leading role in the campaign to restore sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.