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Stanley Algar was born in 1899 and, in the First World War, was mined and torpedoed
and subsequently his vessel sank under him after a collision.
When the Second World War broke out he was master of a Shell tanker and had the dubious
distinction of captaining the first tanker to be attacked from the air.
Later he was captured in the South Altantic and spent four years in a
German POW camp, where he maintained and hid diaries of his day to day life.
My book is based, in part, on those diaries and other articles that he wrote over a long period.
His writing offers a graphic and eloquent picture of his capture, which differed considerably from
the German version, of routine life in the camp and of his eventual liberation.
This eye witness account is as immediate as it is moving.
However, his earlier diaries offer a fascinating account of life as an apprentice
in the early days of the 20th century and of the ships and men he encountered over a long
career which took him around the world.
I have also added substantial extra material throughout the book, putting his story
into a wider economic, political and social context so that readers
could understand the challenges he faced.
It is, I hope, an interesting story of an ordinary man, trying to cope with
appalling challenges at home in his childhood, at sea, and as a
prisoner, yet, surviving and and remarkably, maintaining that he had been lucky.
Some 12 billion people lived at some time during the 20th century.
Many will disagree with his modest comment.
My dedication in the book is to the memory of my brave and generous
father and to those wartime members of the Merchant Navy who gave so much
but received such little recognition for their courageous and
essential contribution to the war effort.
The publishers are Peakpublish and their address is: Hassop Station, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE 45 1NW
Their website is: www.peakplatform.com and the book's ISBN number is: 978-1-907219-04-7
The book is priced at £12.99
but the publishers have waived packing and postage charges of £1.95
for copies ordered by your members.