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The Custom of the Trade: A gripping tale of submarine warfare in WW1
Richard Miller is the second-in-command of the submarine D2 and aspires to his own command, but his captain, Lieutenant Johnson, has previously withheld his recommendation on the grounds that Richard is too ill at ease with his men and too fond of his Bible. Just as Johnson changes his opinion, the submarine is involved in a tragic accident and sinks, leaving Johnson dead and the survivors trapped on the seabed with a diminishing air supply. It’s a race against time for Richard to save his men.
Meanwhile, Richard’s cousin, Elizabeth Miller, faces her own troubles. She is an activist in the Women’s Social and Political Union, standing alongside the Pankhursts to gain the vote for women, for which her activities bring imprisonment. But when her father dies, she inherits the family shipyard and, with war brewing, her new struggle is to build ships and submarines for the war effort. Whilst she continues the battle for women’s equality in the face of male prejudice, Richard goes off to war, firstly in the North Sea and then in the Dardanelles. Soon he and his men must suffer twenty-six hours of foul air, survive the mine fields, Turkish artillery forts and treacherous waters of the Dardanelles Strait - and only then can they start their patrol.
Skilfully melding his passion for history and his own experiences in submarines, Shaun Lewis has penned a gripping tale, rich in historical and authentic detail, on the hazards of life in early submarines and reawakened the largely forgotten tale of the Royal Navy’s outstandingly successful submarine campaign in the Sea of Marmara. The first in his For Those in Peril series on the Royal Navy in WW1, Shaun has won international acclaim for a highly atmospheric, page-turning and fascinating thriller.
In a career lasting twenty years, Shaun served in surface ships and submarines, as well as in appointments in intelligence and as a Chinese interpreter. He now lives in Lancashire with his wife, Hilary.
Meanwhile, Richard’s cousin, Elizabeth Miller, faces her own troubles. She is an activist in the Women’s Social and Political Union, standing alongside the Pankhursts to gain the vote for women, for which her activities bring imprisonment. But when her father dies, she inherits the family shipyard and, with war brewing, her new struggle is to build ships and submarines for the war effort. Whilst she continues the battle for women’s equality in the face of male prejudice, Richard goes off to war, firstly in the North Sea and then in the Dardanelles. Soon he and his men must suffer twenty-six hours of foul air, survive the mine fields, Turkish artillery forts and treacherous waters of the Dardanelles Strait - and only then can they start their patrol.
Skilfully melding his passion for history and his own experiences in submarines, Shaun Lewis has penned a gripping tale, rich in historical and authentic detail, on the hazards of life in early submarines and reawakened the largely forgotten tale of the Royal Navy’s outstandingly successful submarine campaign in the Sea of Marmara. The first in his For Those in Peril series on the Royal Navy in WW1, Shaun has won international acclaim for a highly atmospheric, page-turning and fascinating thriller.
In a career lasting twenty years, Shaun served in surface ships and submarines, as well as in appointments in intelligence and as a Chinese interpreter. He now lives in Lancashire with his wife, Hilary.
238 pages, Paperback
Published January 31, 2022
About the author
Shaun Lewis
19 books2 followersI was very fortunate to be inspired to love history by two excellent masters at my old school. However, it was only late in my career in the Royal Navy that I became interested in naval and military history. Sadly, our naval history lessons at Dartmouth were good opportunities to catch up on some much needed sleep.
I spent twenty years in the Royal Navy, serving in a variety of ships and submarines, in naval intelligence and as a Mandarin Chinese interpreter. I came to writing late in life. I began to find true stories of heroic deeds more fascinating than fiction and one day I suddenly thought, 'More people should know about this.' From that point I began to evolve a series of plots to honour some very courageous people.
My novels are not history books, but both are based on real events and, generally, historically accurate. It is the author's privilege to twist facts or rearrange them to fit the story for the purposes of entertainment. However, I hope they will inspire you to read the actual history of the events portrayed.
The Custom of the Trade includes the very successful submarine campaign in the Dardanelles. Now the Darkness Gathers is a tale of the early days of the formation of Britain's Secret Service and a plot by the Germans to call a Jihad against the British rule in the Near East and India. Although all three of my novels are stand-alone stories, it would help the reader to have read one of these two books before reading my third book, The Wings of the Wind, about the development of naval aviation and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). It includes, too, something of the RNAS's armoured car division and the Royal Naval Division.
The fourth tale in my WW1 series, Where the Baltic Ice is Thin, features the tragic tale of the Royal Navy's submarine flotilla in Russia during the Russian Revolution.
Finally, as a temporary change of period, I have written my first WW2 novel. They Have No Graves as Yet, is based on the true stories of several modest and brave British, Australian and American men who defuzed German parachute mines in Britain.
I spent twenty years in the Royal Navy, serving in a variety of ships and submarines, in naval intelligence and as a Mandarin Chinese interpreter. I came to writing late in life. I began to find true stories of heroic deeds more fascinating than fiction and one day I suddenly thought, 'More people should know about this.' From that point I began to evolve a series of plots to honour some very courageous people.
My novels are not history books, but both are based on real events and, generally, historically accurate. It is the author's privilege to twist facts or rearrange them to fit the story for the purposes of entertainment. However, I hope they will inspire you to read the actual history of the events portrayed.
The Custom of the Trade includes the very successful submarine campaign in the Dardanelles. Now the Darkness Gathers is a tale of the early days of the formation of Britain's Secret Service and a plot by the Germans to call a Jihad against the British rule in the Near East and India. Although all three of my novels are stand-alone stories, it would help the reader to have read one of these two books before reading my third book, The Wings of the Wind, about the development of naval aviation and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). It includes, too, something of the RNAS's armoured car division and the Royal Naval Division.
The fourth tale in my WW1 series, Where the Baltic Ice is Thin, features the tragic tale of the Royal Navy's submarine flotilla in Russia during the Russian Revolution.
Finally, as a temporary change of period, I have written my first WW2 novel. They Have No Graves as Yet, is based on the true stories of several modest and brave British, Australian and American men who defuzed German parachute mines in Britain.
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