From the Deadnaught to Scap Flow

[David Filsell]

Not sure if this has been raised before, but in a new mailing from Pen and Sword I learn that they have listed all five volumes of Marder's classic - in paperback - for £60.00

[Felix C]

A somewhat notable British author recently commented that the work is flawed as Marder was withheld documents which may provide a less than favorable image of the RN in the era in question.

Here is as written "for 'old boy' reasons The Admiralty deliberately kept a GREAT deal of material from him. Meaning very few people will know how inaccurate his history really is."

Edited 9 December , 2014 by Felix C

[TeeCeeCee]

A somewhat notable British author recently commented that the work is flawed as Marder was withheld documents which may provide a less than favorable image of the RN in the era in question.

Here is as written "for 'old boy' reasons The Admiralty deliberately kept a GREAT deal of material from him. Meaning very few people will know how inaccurate his history really is."

Felix, like what? Can your broaden out what was alegedly withheld or editted? I'm not doubting that things were withheld, I'd just like to know more.

Cheers

[simonharley]

Who made that statement, Felix? There's no question Marder's work is flawed, but the suggestion that material was purposely withheld is something new.

If memory serves Barry Gough goes into some of this in his book on Marder and Stephen Roskill, Historical Dreadnoughts. Marder was granted access to Admiralty records years before anyone would normally have been allowed, and also apparently had access to some material which was subsequently allegedly "weeded." A month ago I came across the docket of Lord Charles Beresford's report of proceedings on the Dogger Bank incident which Marder quoted from in The Anatomy of British Sea Power and as far as I'm aware no one else has quoted from since - the Admiralty Record Office voucher sheet still accompanied it with Marder's name on from when he consulted it in 1938 - by rights an outsider shouldn't have been able to consult it until decades later.

[Felix C]

TeeCeeCee that quote is all I have. Myself and others were critiquing Friedman's recent work on the Fighting Great War at Sea as he is very weak on non-English language sources.(Navies other than the RN get short shrift) and someone mentioned Marder as an alternative read and that came out.

Simon, On the steelnavy.com board which I frequent. Initials WR. Authored and co-authored a number of fine works on British warship design in the Second World War.(The famous British Cruisers of World War 2, British Battleships of World War 2,) Currently working on book length format regarding the RN in WW2.