Sailors in the Dock: Naval Courts Martial Down the Centuries Book

Covering the period from Sir Francis Drake to the Second World War, this is the first book to be written on the subject in over 100 years. During this period, thanks to naval power, Great Britain rose from an obscure island to a worldwide empire. The men that controlled these fleets wielded enormous power and influence and produced victory after victory, but they were individuals of a diverse collection of colourful characters that could be created. Often more at war with each other than the enemy, not everything went to plan. The results were sometimes fatal, sometimes tragic, quite often unintentionally hilarious, but the resulting trials and their outcomes, from mutiny to dereliction of duty to plain stupidity, often had far-reaching effects on the British social fabric and have become woven into the legal system of the land.Read More