Stand By for Action: The Memoirs of a Small Ship Commander in World War II

by William Donald

A naval memoir of the Second World War by a sea-officer who was awarded a DSC for providing anti-aircraft defense along the Norwegian coast. The author of this compelling memoir proved himself one of the most successful small ship commanders during the Norwegian campaign in 1940, and then served at sea continuously throughout the rest of the War. In Norway, as second-in-command of a Black Swan sloop, he experienced the suspense and nervous strain of operating in the narrow waters of a twisting fjord under heavy air attack, but his humor was never far away. “I don’t want to appear fussy, but are we going to be greeted by cheers and kisses from Norwegian blondes, or a hail of gunfire from invisible Huns?” he remarked to his officers on approaching the small town of Andalsnes. His next task—in command first of a corvette and then a destroyer—was escorting East Coast convoys, and his experiences reflect the danger of this work against the menaces of E-boats, enemy aircraft and mines. He then took part in the landings at Anzio and the Normandy landings in 1944; finally, he rescued internees from the Japanese prison camp on Stanley, Hong Kong. His career was much helped by his highly developed sixth sense for danger, the deep affection of his crews and his affinity with cats which he believed brought him luck. This record of varied and almost incessant action ranks among the most thrilling personal stories of the war at sea.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, World War II, Military Fiction

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2009

Reviews

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book about life on the small ships in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. The author was there from the start, serving as second-in-command during the Norwegian campaign on the sloop, HMS Black Swan, before getting his own command, a sloop and an old V+W Class destroyer, doing convoy work on the East Coast convoys and fighting off aircraft, E-boats and boredom. After a few years of this strenuous work he is given command of a new U-Class destroyer in the Mediterranean during the Anzio landing and the D-Day landings of the Normandy Coast. The action is greatly described and he also gives a good glimpse at life in port and the lighter side of life where people really enjoyed life and lived to the fullest as they knew not if it would be their last day. For a relatively short book it is filled with great stories of shipboard life. Highly recommended!!

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. Stand by for Action is the WWII Memoir of Commander William Donald DSC, who spent most of the War in small escort vessels of the Royal Navy. When the war began he was a serving officer having experience on the China station, but was soon put to work with the home Islands Convoy routine. Most of the book is about the East Coast Convoys, trundling up and down the coast of Britain, bringing much needed supplies and food down from Scotland and other ports in the North of England down to the Ports in southern England. As the war progresses, so does his career from Executive for other Captains to his own ships, Destroyer Escorts first and then Destroyers In the larger ships the Convoy role is primary, but he did participate in Sweeps of the Channel, being part of larger battle groups, VIP passages and offshore support for first the Anzio landings and then D-Day. By the very end of the war, Donald was part of the force sent to the Far East for the planned "Zipper" operation, the liberation of Malaya. It is a book filled with memories both personal and professional and the reader really learns what it is like to be in Command of a small part of larger operations.

Donald was a very conscientious commander, always aware of his responsibilities to the War Effort, the Royal Navy, the Missions, and his men. As the long nights , long voyages, air attacks and E-boats and U-Boats skirmishes mount, he has no trouble keeping the intensity of the narrative up. He's a good writer, and I found myself very emotionally involved- we were lucky to have many men like him making sure Britain was fed and clothed in wartime- my mum was in London throughout and I know she appreciated these efforts. He was lucky also in having a bit of a Sixth Sense for impending possible doom- and always turning into the trouble he saw coming. I have never read a better memoir on small ship action- with some passages either being quite stirring- or those that you read to your friends for a good chuckle. I cannot recommend this book enough.

There are some adult themes, handled well, but evident, and some quite harrowing injury description passages, so this is best read by the Junior Reader over about 13/14 Years- but I think they should-to understand what service means. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military enthusiast, a good read, but a mixed bag. The Gamer, especially one who plays Cruel Seas or some other small ship action game , will find this is purest gold- his description of a Mid Channel Action with Five Royal Navy Destroyers versus an equal Nazi force can be a scenario all itself- and there are plenty more. D-Day gamers will also appreciate his description of his part in the great assault . The modeler does not get that much help, for although there are pics of most of his ships- they tend to be of classes of ships that were produced in large numbers and thus none are that distinctive. The Military Enthusiast as usual with memoirs is the big winner- for while Donald's war-work was absolutely vital to the war effort, few other personnel involved have written about it, nor does it figure in that many book on the war. It's really quite a gem of a book- and I do hope it will get a larger audience. This book deserves to be read.

[Chris Robb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb account of a destroyer captain's adventures during WWII

Donald served in the Royal Navy before and throughout the war seeing action in many theatres, culminating at the Normandy invasion, before being dispatched to take part in an invasion of Japanese occupied Malaya.
The action sequences are told with British coolness, and are all the more exciting for being true.
A darned good read for devotees of maritime history.

[GEOFFREY PETERS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great memoir

Very interesting for those who like and perhaps remember the Royal Navy of those days...
You’ll very much enjoy reading it.

[Anthony King · Rating 5 out of 5]

War story

Given 5 stars despite several grammar and spelling mistakes, simply because reading this memoir held the attention of a former 'pongo', which is no mean feat! Oh, by the way, I also am a Cumbrian!

[Gerald Anthony Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sftory

As one who.had lived through most of it,and my army service in Malaya it thought it was an excellent read

[David L. Deakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Exceptional Naval Officer's Diary.

An authentic yarn written with an uncommon honesty. This is a truely genuine account of a seaman officer's wartime experiences. As a retired naval officer myself, I can thoroughly recommend this book to all of similar persuasion.