The Sea Shall Not Have Them

by Max Hennessy, John Harris (AKA)

The classic war novel of espionage in the most extreme of situations.

An essential flight from France crash lands in the North Sea, leaving the four remaining crew members of the RAF Hudson stranded on a dinghy.

One man is critically injured, and another, a rocket expert, is carrying a briefcase stuffed with vital war secrets, that could prove devastating if allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

As the days begin to stretch out, they can only pray that the rescue team can locate the dinghy in time, before exposure kills them, or worse, the enemy finds them…

A novel which charts the daring and courage of four castaways, and the men who rescued them in a breathtaking mission with the most awesome of consequences, perfect for fans of Alexander Fullerton, David McDine and Alan Evans.

Genres: Historical Fiction

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Pseudonym of John Harris

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, there are too many insignificant characters introduced throughout and the smallest of details are elaborated on way too much which makes this a laborious read. Not the action packed with great characters World War 2 novel that I am used to and will not continue with this series.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like historical fiction, historical war fiction, historical war fiction with very little romance in it. This book fits that description almost perfectly. It is the story of four men who have crashed at sea in a Hudson, late in WWII. One of the men (Waltby) is an Air Commodore who is being flown back to England because he has important documents. The other three men, Harding, Mackay, and Ponsettia are the crew. Gradually, we learn something about each man as the hours pass in the cold and wet with little food to sustain them. The Skipper, Harding, has been injured, so it is basically up to the other three to keep the four of them going in hopes of rescue.

That rescue will come from an Air-Sea Launch, men who risk their lives for downed flyers. This is another third of the story. High Speed Launch 7525 is on patrol with a crew that is for the most part dedicated to their jobs although the new medical officer, Milliken, isn't sure he likes what he is doing.

Back in England, waiting for news of Waltby and the others is Group Captain Tandevin. Tandevin is a man of patience, even though Waltby is his brother-in-law. He has to be patient because he is stuck with an Administrative Officer named Scott who has little common sense and even less tact. They are the third part of the equation.

As the weather shuts down, all try to do their duty, hoping that they can find and bring the four men home.

[Michael Merry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing. A plain tale of bravery by a small group of men on a tiny rescue craft. No one hero but a crew doing their difficult job. Well worth reading and recommend to all rastes. dit


An author to follow in the future. What will the author for up with next? We will have to wait and see.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone of a certain age will know the film version of this as being a staple of TV on wet Sunday afternoons. The book gives a rather deeper insight into the motivations and private lives of some of the the characters, but if you've seen the film you'll know the broader plot.

That doesn't detract from this being a great read with bags of tension that builds to a gripping climax.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Little action for the majority of the story. Part III was the best so it finished strong. Very poor character development but good writing. Very much British vernacular which made it tough at times. Good story and plot but not the best execution. Don’t know if I would read another one of his books.

[George Hamilton-Meikle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illuminating, surprising, a page turner

I was only vaguely aware of this rescue service in peacetime. What tale it was in the fight against the sea, wind, rain and cold. If those odds were not short enough there was the war to add to the fray.

[Roger Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book, well researched with the plots suspense constantly building....

[ALAN SEARS · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two thirds of the way through I lost the will to read any more. This is a continuous description of what it was probably like on a war time air-sea rescue launch in a storm. The crew members get tossed about, they hate the job and each other, and that’s about it. Somehow every page seemed just like the previous one and I found myself Increasingly skipping paragraphs.

[David Megginson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far better than most of the genre. Published just 8 years after the end of the war, it avoids being yet another mindless action-packed thriller (as became the cliché in later years), and manages to depict the complexity and chaos behind something as seemingly simple as a single air-sea rescue. Strongly recommended.

[B.Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much prose

Too much prose and not enough action. Not a shot fired in anger until the last 5% of the book. We don't find out what happened to the main characters at the end either so are left hanging. Disappointing.

[David Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

Not much of a story. Reminded me of the war commando books, short and lacking in depth. Was hoping for more action.