Beginnings.

31 volumes of manually-typed (non-electronic) history of the battle and battles between Axis U-Boats and Allied Merchant Navy vessels between 1939 and 1945. Technical specifications, crew lists, tonnages sunk, patrol details, personal stories from men involved on both "sides" of the conflict - and four large storage boxes of photographs. Information culled from any and every source including survivors, witnesses, Associations and other historians plus the Public Records Office at Kew - official government interrogation records and Merchant Navy records.

My Father began this work in earnest in order to keep himself occupied when working away from home. In that sense then he was more occupied than most of Europe during the war. Everything was checked and double-checked and nothing considered sound unless verified from multiple sources. That said, the nature of the Beast of History is that it is subjective, written by the side whose ammunition out-lasted the opposition's supplies and is always an exercise in digging facts out of incomplete and difficult-to-come-by resources. There will always be errors and ommissions - and it is my intention as I carry out this work to encourage anyone, anywhere and any time to please let me know of any such corrections!

I value and would appreciate any help, advice or criticism relating to this work or the subject matter in general. As is the way of such things my interest was not sparked until long after it was too late to soak up any of my father's expertise - and so I am learning as I go.

There are a million and one sources of information on this fascinating slice of history but none, I believe, where so much varied information has been collected and vetted in one place or with so much personal detail and history from those involved.