From Africa to the Artic: A Year on the Destroyer HMS Beagle During WWII (P/B)

 FROM AFRICA TO THE ARTIC: A YEAR ON THE DESTROYER HMS BEAGLE DURING WWII. By Peter Ward (SIGNED EDITION)

This book is based on the Diary kept by 21-years-old Peter Ward (Leading Seaman Radar), between June, 1943 and June, 1944. He was a crew member of a 'B' Class Destroyer, HMS Beagle, during World War II, which was involved in avoiding torpedoes, entering mine fields, surviving bombing by German aircraft, to say nothing of sharing the sinking of a U-Boat with HMS Tracker. 'Beagle' was engaged mostly with escort duties, initially over a period of five months, protecting merchant ships (which were transporting supplies etc.) from German submarines.

After a spell of sailing up and down the West Coast of Africa whilst based at Freetown, Siera Leone, the 'Beagle' spent the following seven months acting as an escort estroyer for Russian Convoys, the Arctic trips numbering six.

The diary ends with a graphic account of 'Beagle's'involvement in the 'D' Day Landings, which included sailing with the armada on the moring of the 6th June, and later shepherding several large American Landing Craft to Omaha Beach.

A SIGNED paperback first published in 2003, this is a reprint edition from 2014