Heart of Oak

Call 1-888-933-BOAT (2628) to Order

Books

Heart of Oak

Tristan Jones

Following the account of his Welsh childhood and his early years aboard a coastal sailing ketch in A Steady Trade, Tristan Jones now looks back to his years 'below decks' in the Royal Navy during World War II. It is 1940; discharged from his sailing barge, Tristan is thrown among wartime recruits from all walks of life and after a period of instruction and a fair share of punishment on HMS Ganges, he goes to sea; first on transatlantic convoy duties, and later on the arduous Arctic runs to Russia. He was sunk three times before he was 18 years old.

From the destroyer HMS Eclectic, Tristan witnessed the battle between HMS Hood and the Bismarck, and he also watched the thrilling pursuit and eventual sinking of the German battleship. He witnessed the battle in which the Scharnhorst was sunk in 1943.

But Heart of Oak is also about the forging of a young lad into someone else. We join Tristan at home, on leave, and we share with him experiences both comic and poignant, from the hilarious descriptions of his earliest sexual adventures to his emotional departure from Wales and the tragic loss of both his parents.

288 pp. 1997 1574090194 paper

Online Marine Price $14.95 Buy Now