Awards

• Commended for Keith Matthews Award for Best Book 2006.
• Commended for Keith Matthews Prize, Canadian Nautical Research Society 2006 (Canada)

Overview

Commander A.F.C. Layard, RN, wrote almost daily in his diary, in bold, neat script, from the time he entered the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1913 until his retirement in 1947. The pivotal 1943-45 years of this edited volume offer an extraordinarily full and honest chronicle, revealing Layard’s preoccupations, both with the daily details and with the strain and responsibility of wartime command at sea. Enhanced by Michael Whitby’s explanatory essays, the diary sheds light on the inshore anti-submarine campaign in British waters; discusses pivotal events such as the invasions of North Africa and Normandy and convoys to Russia; describes encounters with important personalities; and records the final surrender of German U-boats. It is a highly personal piece of history that greatly enhances our understanding of the Canadian naval experience and the Atlantic war as a whole. A consummately well-researched work, Commanding Canadians will appeal to both naval scholars, as well as to general readers interested in military history.

Full Product Details

9780774811941

Table of Contents

Reviews

Commanding Canadians is a gripping history of a small part of the Battle of the Atlantic, a fascinating picture of the realities of life at sea and ashore through extended periods of operations and, most valuably, a wonderful case study of leadership.

Author Information

Michael Whitby is Senior Naval Historian at the Canadian National Defence Headquarters.

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