Following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in 1940, Britain was at her most vulnerable. France had capitulated and the Germans had control of ports from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. Nazi U-boats were at Britain's doorstep, and in that year alone they sunk 204 ships, a gross tonnage of 2,435,667. Britain stood alone against Germany and a vital lifeline was the supplies carried by the civilian Merchant Navy, defended only by the thinly stretched Royal Navy. Winston Churchill conceded that his greatest fear was the slaughter of merchant seaman, who worked in harsh conditions, were often poorly fed, and were always at the mercy of the Kriegsmarine. In Flying the Red Duster, Morris Beckman tells the story of his experiences as a merchant seaman during the Battle of the Atlantic, part of the civilian force which enabled Britain to avoid capitulation to Nazi Germany. Based on his wartime diary - the unique document now held at the Imperial War Museum - this work allows the reader unique access to a time which is fast slipping from living memory.

One early spring day in May 1954 the headmaster called the author, who was about to leave school, into his study for occupational guidance. All Neil knew was that the dreary nine to five existence in office or factory was not for him. ‘I want to be a steward in the Merchant Navy sir’. The head who was a good old boy shook his grey head. ‘What a waste.’ What followed was no waste; adventure was what he craved and adventure and romance aplenty called during the years that were the heyday of Britain’s proud merchant flag, the “Red Duster”. From Brazil to the Caribbean, to New Zealand and Australia where he now lives, the author will share with you a rollicking good yarn or two.. Book reviews online: PublishedBestsellers website.

Ambiguity has marked the use of national flags in Australia since Federation. The gaps in the documented history of the transition from Union Jack to Australian national flag has left Australians dependent on the views of groups arguing for and against flag change. Flag and Nation explains Australians' changing relationship to their national flags since 1901 and the perceptions of national identity they represent.

From flags and pennants to Morse code and complex telecommunications, Radio History Ship to Shore is a treatise on the navigational aids vessels have used over the centuries. Author Spurgeon “Spud” G. Roscoe takes the reader on a journey through the evolution of communication systems globally, from the days of Columbus to modern times. Roscoe also mines his first-hand experience as a radio officer who sailed on a dozen ships, including a reproduction of the ill-fated HMS Bounty. Now in his eighties, he has been meticulously collecting the content for Radio History Ship to Shore for more than five decades. The result is a hefty tome in which Roscoe shares his encyclopedic knowledge and unyielding fascination with communications systems. The book includes all the vessels in the RCMP marine section (and, later, marine division), the RCAF marine squadrons, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Government Merchant Marine, and the Canadian Coast Guard, including the weather ships, and icebreakers. Radio History Ship to Shore is complemented by a wealth of historic photos of everything from warships to Canada’s famous Bluenose schooner.

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)