Julian Stockwin
Softback
Book Reviews
201106
It is the forth book in Stockwin's developing story of two principal characters, Kydd and Renzi. It marks the beginning of a major change but continues in the attractive formula of a book that is full of surprises and twists of fortune. After their epic open boat voyage across the Caribbean, our two heroes have reached the height of a career as sailors. They have been rewarded with Admiralty Warrants. The Warrant Officer in the Royal Navy was a very important role that began to change only after 1945. Until the end of World War Two, the "thin ringer" was not uncommon, often a Senior Commissioned Gunner. At the time of Kydd, the Admiralty Warrant Officer Officer was most commonly a master or master's mate. The master's mate was accommodated in the gunroom with the Midshipmen, rather than in the Wardroom with the Officers. The important difference was that Officers held the Royal Commission from the Sovereign. For our two heroes, it marks an important stage in their relationship because it is now unlikely that they will ever serve in the same ship. At the start of this story they are already separated, Kydd being assigned to HMS Achilles a 64-gunship of the line. Renzi has been assigned to Glorious, a larger 74-gun ship of the line. No longer will they share a mess or an off-duty conversation. Their association is to be confined to the same squadron perhaps and on occasion runs ashore. Renzi is also approaching the end of his self-imposed five year exile at sea and considering a return to his family and a life of privilege. Neither can expect further advancement. Achilles and Glorious head for Gibraltar, now a British outpost with no British vessels operating in the Mediterranean. The prospects seem to be for a period of tedious inaction. For Kydd there is dangerous romance with the wife of the acting town major and this is the cause for some rift with Renzi. Stockwin introduces us to life in Gibraltar and its place in the history of the times. Then we have the pace speeding up with Kydd and Renzi temporarily joining the frigate Bacchante which is short handed and due for a cloak and dagger voyage into the Adriatic. This provides suspense and excitement as our heroes venture into neutral Venice to rescue a British diplomat who has been fleeing the French. Stockwin provides a nice view of Venice as a decadent but once powerful naval state and has the opportunity to paint in some of Renzi's early history when in his days of privilege he spent time in Venice during his Grand Tour, often considered an essential experience for young men of wealth. The expedition ends in triumph and Bacchante returns to Gibraltar with the diplomat. It is now time for our two heroes to separate as they rejoin their ships and Kydd again dons his masters mate uniform and embarks on the central adventure of this book without his particular friend Renzi. Achilles engages the enemy on the way home to Spithead but is unable to take prizes in hand. A chance encounter with a French fishing vessel provides news of the mutiny at Spithead. Achilles' captain sends Kydd and a Lieutenant ashore to gather news and from their information decides to join the Nore Fleet in the Thames Estuary because mutiny has not yet spread there. The mutiny spreads and Kydd becomes a reluctant participant. He has also begun a relationship with Kitty, sister of a former shipmate lost on the way back to England. Stockwin paints a graphic picture of the great Mutiny which shook the Admiralty to the core. He explains how it came about as a result of the growing need for men to crew the ships, the Quota Men who enjoyed advantage from bounties but were mostly of very poor quality, the endemic abuse by suppliers and pursers who provide spoilt food and cheated the sailors, the terrible pay that had not increased in a hundred years. The mutineers had much genuine cause for grievance but little prospect of redress. The Spithead mutiny was resolved after a fashion and concessions granted, including pardons for the mutineers. The Nore was a different matter. The government of Pitt could not stand a further round of concessions and the mutineers were eventually forced into a position where they had not option but to capitulate. Things look bleak for Kydd as he waits in chains for court martial and the inevitable sentence of hanging. Renzi comes to the rescue with the aid of Kitty and, to his confusion and surprise, Kydd is given a pardon. In the story, Stockwin has captured the mood and events of what was a shaming time for the Royal Navy. In an entertaining tale he provides a history lesson in an episode that has been carefully avoided by most naval historians and writers of sea tales of the period. At the end of this central story, victory is seized from the jaws of destruction for Kydd. In separate ships they are again masters mates fighting in the great victory over the Dutch fleet at Kamperduin. Renzi is wounded. Kydd is transferred to HMS Tenacious as an acting Lieutenant and to his delight he finds his old friend has also been made acting Lieutenant. This marks a very important change in the story as it will unfold in later books. Not only have both made the unimaginable advance from Admiralty Warrant to Royal Commission, but it ensures that Renzi will continue to serve on beyond his self-imposed five year exile. Will both be confirmed in their rank? Will they continue to serve together or will advancement separate them across the world? How will Kydd as a tarpaulin officer fare amongst fellow officers of a very different social background? We know it may be different for Renzi because he has education and wealth before his exile, but will this create a rift between friends? What is certain is that Stockwin has a fund of further adventures in store for us.
R1400
Fiction
0-340-79480-1
http://tinyurl.com/
Mutiny
440
£6.99
Hodder and Stoughton
Napoleonic War
Nelson
Royal Navy
line of battle ships
technology
social history
press gangs
privateers
blockade
French Revolution
HMS Victory
USS Constitution
Grand Turk
Kydd
Artemis
Seaflower
Command
Quarterdeck
Tenacious
West Indies