The Fighting at Jutland: The Personal Experiences of Sixty Officers and Men of the British Fleet

by H.W. Fawcett

Book by Fawcett, H. W.

Hardcover

First published November 1, 2001

Reviews

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of some 60 personal accounts of what was the largest ever clash between dreadnought battleships and one of the largest sea-battles ever fought. These reports came from men of all ranks, widely distributed throughout the British fleet. They are written accounts, unlike the spoken memories collection made by the Imperial War Museum, and many of them are rather more formal in style. They are all first-hand accounts written soon after the event while memories were still fresh, they not only give an accurate picture of the battle but also tell us what it was like to take part in it. The more formal reports are informative, but it is the human touches which added most to my enjoyment of the book.
The copy I read came from the Royal Naval library at Gosport, which Hampshire Library members can borrow books from. It is not readily available, although some other libraries have the shorter version, but if anyone can get hold of a copy then I recommend reading it.