HELL OR HIGH WATER
Edited by Neill Atkinson

Published by Harper Collins
Soft cover 268 pages B/W photographs
RRP $45.00
Reviewed by Paul Harrison

In the foreword to this book the Rt Hon Helen Clark aptly describes the subjects of the book as “neither soldiers, airmen nor naval sailors. Instead they belonged to what was sometimes called the ‘fourth service’ – the Merchant Navy.”

The collection of individual memories of the dangers faced by these sailors is well portrayed throughout the work and editor Neill Atkinson is to be congratulated on the way he has captured these experiences.

The Merchant Navies of the allied countries have often been overlooked in military history. This book goes a long way in re-addressing this oversight. A highly recommended read.