The skill of dramatising a well known event is to find the balance between accurately covering the factual whilst enlivening the book with some fiction and dialogue. The dramatis personae of Jutland are certainly well known – Jellicoe, Beatty – and the outcome of the battle has provided ample ground for scholarly debate. Tim Concannon writes of a junior Lt Marston USN being sent “unofficially” from neutral USA to UK to fulfil a request from the Admiralty for an observer. He is not universally welcome on arrival in UK but his involvement in the Sussex inquiry helps prove his credentials and he is sent to join the Warspite in Scapa Flow.
This is where the advantages of using fiction come to the fore. Marston is warmly welcomed by Warspite and his observer role has allowed the author to write of life onboard a battleship at Scapa waiting for action. His description of sailing, darkened, into the strong tides of the Pentland Firth on a sweep with just a stop watch and minimal lights to navigate is wonderfully atmospheric. There are a number of episodes he uses to illustrate life in the Grand Fleet including Sunday Divisions, practice shoots and a “Sods Opera”. Marston meets Jellicoe who he clearly admires as he does Beatty, but Beatty’s American wife is another matter. Encouraged by Jellicoe to see flight operations at first hand he embarks in the Engadine and witnesses an abortive attack on Tondern and recognises the potential of naval air power.
When the Grand Fleet meets up with the High Seas Fleet, the battle of Jutland is told through the eyes of an independent observer – much like Pakenham at Tsushima. Marston shadows the Commander throughout, from an action position in B turret to damage control and the frantic efforts to mend the steering as Warspite pirouetted around Windy Corner under heavy fire. Returning to Rosyth, Warspite’s ship’s company are greeted with jeers and lumps of coal thrown by dockyard matey’s and the news that the German press is claiming victory, to Marston’s dismay. Marston’s final encounter is with a somewhat irascible Kitchener but he survives to write his report which is a masterly review of Britain and the Royal Navy post Jutland, including the growing role of women and the potential threat from Japan.
The book succeeds in mixing some contemporary naval vignettes and dialogue with accurate factual accounts. Debate over Jutland will continue but Marston is clear in his mind with the outcome and who can argue. I see a bright future for Marston – maybe Cdr Marston USN could be loaned to Force H and report on Oran and the Bismarck chase and then go on to the British Pacific Fleet! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, engrossing and well written, and yet retains a firm grip on the facts. Highly recommended.