Category: Uncategorized
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Guardians of the Convoys: The Royal Navy’s Destroyers in the Second World War
In the vast and perilous theatres of the Second World War, the Royal Navy’s destroyers stood as vigilant sentinels of the sea. Agile, heavily armed, and endlessly versatile, these ships were the backbone of Britain’s naval defence – protecting convoys, hunting submarines, and engaging enemy forces from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean. In my…
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Six Key Moments in the Norwegian Campaign of WW2
In the spring of 1940, the quiet fjords and rugged mountains of Norway became the stage for one of the Second World War’s earliest and most dramatic campaigns. The Norwegian Campaign was a bold and complex operation involving land, sea, and air forces – but it was the Royal Navy that bore the brunt of…
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HMS King Alfred – the RNVR’s wartime training site
During the Second World War, HMS King Alfred in Hove, Sussex, became the nerve centre for training officers of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR). In this blog, I’ve pulled together some intriguing facts that reveal the importance of this unique establishment. HMS King Alfred plays a key role in my new book – For Those…
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Six curious facts about the Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War, lasting from 1939 to 1945. While most people know it involved German U-boats and Allied convoys, there are some fascinating details that rarely make it into the history books. In 2024, I signed a five-book deal with historical fiction specialist…
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The role of the WRNS – the Women’s Royal Naval Service
The Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), affectionately known as the Wrens, holds a distinguished place in British military history. As the women’s branch of the Royal Navy, the WRNS played a vital role in both World Wars and continued to serve with distinction until its integration into the Royal Navy in 1993. As I discovered…
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Operation Dynamo: The evacuation from Dunkirk, 85th anniversary
In the annals of British military history, few events have captured the imagination and spirit of resilience quite like Operation Dynamo. Referred to by Churchill himself as a “Miracle of deliverance,” this audacious evacuation of Allied troops from the beaches of northern France in 1940 turned what could have been a catastrophic defeat into a…
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The Wavy Navy: Seven key things to understand about the RNVR in World War II
The Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) played a pivotal role during World War II, contributing significantly to the Allied war effort. But the initials might mean nothing to some people in the 21st century. The RNVR was established in 1903 to supplement the Royal Navy with trained volunteers. By the time World War II erupted,…
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Mersey memories breathed life into my novels
Author David Clensy on how decades after their deaths, the lives of both his grandfathers continue to echo through his writing One of my earliest memories is of getting my head stuck between the railings on the Pier Head in Liverpool. I must have only been three or four years old. My grandad would often…
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Cover reveal: For Those In Peril available now to preorder for Kindle
The first instalment of my new Second World War naval thriller series, For Those In Peril, is out on August 1st 2025 in paperback and Kindle formats – with Kindle preorders available now! Liverpool, 1939. Twin brothers Romulus and Remus Hutchinson (Rom and Remmie) grew up in a proud seafaring Liverpool family. So when war…
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Westbury Festival book talk – Walking the White Horses
I’m delighted to have been invited to speak at this year’s Westbury Festival in July. Back in 2023, I set off on a long walk – seeking to tackle the 93 miles of Wiltshire’s White Horse Trail, joined in the adventure by my wide-eyed 10-year-old son, Charlie. The book became a heart-warming account of a…
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