“Along with an excellent bibliography to follow up on operations or full memoirs, Naval Eyewitnesses is an excellent addition to anyone’s British Royal Navy library.”

The Western Naval Historical Association

"What is most attractive about the book is the author's comprehensive appreciation of what it was to be a sailor in wartime. Plenty of books describe naval actions, usually in terms of ships doing this or that, possibly featuring the captain or, sometime, a heroic act. Goulty tells the story from the perspective of the ordinary sailor or officer who was there."

Nautical Research Journal Volume 68 (2023)

Despite growing up with small boats and spending about a year’s worth of sea-time on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, I still learned a lot about wartime life at sea. There is a comprehensive, six-page Timeline covering events from the 1921 Washington Naval Treaty to VJ Day which serves as a useful reference source for future reading.

The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord

BOOK OF THE MONTH

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The Nautilus Telegraph - May/June 2023

Goulty has nicely balanced the story-telling to capture both the humour and the austerity of naval life, alongside the gravity and tension of wartime conditions. I believe this book would be widely enjoyed.

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Naval Review

"....it does paint a very good picture of virtually every theatre of war and what it was like to fight at sea.... A very enjoyable read and highly recommended."

Peter Wykeham-Martin - Warship World

The book, as one might expect from the title, is liberally laced with eyewitness accounts from different ships and different theatres of war. These come from a variety of sources, with many from the Imperial War Museum and Second World War Experience Centre archives, but also the author’s own collection and published primary sources. The memories of the veterans are placed in context by detailed explanation of many aspects of the war at sea and this book is a useful addition to the naval history of the Second World War.

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British Modern Military History Society

This is an excellent book about life in the Royal Navy during World War Two, this book looks at the views and opinions of most ranks on board from a wide variety of ships and vessels.

I think this is what makes this book is all the opinions of the variety of shipmen, how they see things, the thoughts on the war and also the daily routines of being on board a ship or submarine. In fact, I enjoyed all of this book because the information at the start of the book was also informative and useful like the timeline and the abbreviations.

A solid book that really informs you about life in the Navy during WW2.

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The History Fella

Five stars. An enjoyable and readable book with much detail, not only of action at sea but also daily routines on ship and on land.

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Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)

James Goulty has assembled in this extremely well researched book a remarkable collection of eyewitness accounts of the experiences of life in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

He has used recollections from senior naval officer, ratings, women, and men of the merchant services. Interwoven within the narrative is technical information and operations undertaken by the Royal Navy in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Far East. The path to victory was not a smooth one and he highlights difficulties which were successfully resolved. His focus is upon those who participated in the war and presents their observations and experiences for the reader to consider and reflect upon the contribution they willingly gave for King and Country.

It is also a valuable contribution to naval and social history for future generations to learn about the reality of war at sea.

Roger Coleman