Epub Jutland

'A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land' PD Smith, Guardian

Stephen Roskill's magnificent biography explains why Admiral David Beatty has come to be seen as Britain's last naval hero. His early promise led to fast promotion and he became the youngest admiral since Nelson.
But that is only one part of the story and there are aspects of his character that were not entirely admirable.

Scapa Flow, a vast, natural harbour in the Orkney Islands, served as the Royal Navy's main base during the two world wars, from where ships sailed to the Battle of Jutland in the First and in convoy to northern Russia in the Second. Thousands of men and women saw service in and around this remote anchorage, including soldiers and sailors who crewed the ships and manned the lonely batteries, and Wrens, nurses and civilians who were posted there.