My War at Sea 1914–1916 by Heathcoat Grant

The Canopus also played a critical role at the Dardanelles, getting further up the Straits than any other Allied ship, and Grant’s sceptical perspective from inside the higher echelons of the Royal Navy adds further grist, if more were needed, to critics of the campaign.

The report of his conversations with Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock sheds a valuable light on events at Coronel, while his description of the measures taken on land to defend the Falkland Islands details an important aspect of the battle often overlooked in accounts which focus primarily on the battle at sea. Grant never intended it to be a great work of naval literature, but a work of historic record.įor the first two years of the war HMS Canopus had as eventful a time as any ship in the Royal Navy, being involved at Coronel, the Battle of the Falklands and the attempt to force the Dardanelles.Īs captain of the ship, Grant’s account, based on his service reports and diary, is a valuable source for those wanting to know more about such key naval events of the First World War. It is published primarily to be of interest to those seeking more details about particular aspects of the war at sea. It is published in conjunction with the War Letters 1914–1918 series and is based on a series of articles Grant wrote for the Naval Review in the 1920s. Grant, the captain of the HMS Canopus between 1914–1916. This book is based on the wartime recollections of Heathcoat S.

My War at Sea 1914–1916 by Heathcoat Grant