A continuing theme of my novels is the often unsung heroes and largely unknown activities of the Royal Navy in WW1. My aim is to bring to the fore once again the courageous deeds of great men and highlight that the Royal Navy wasn’t just involved in the Battle of Jutland. In my first novel, The Custom of the Trade, I have focused on the early days of submarine operations. Submarines in those days were in their infancy and extremely dangerous and unreliable. As will often b

Yesterday, HM the Queen marked the start of GCHQ's centenary celebrations. In 1919, the Royal Navy's Room 40, of which I write in my second and third novels, became part of what was then known under the cover name of the Government Code and Cypher School. The official date for its formation was 1 November 1919, but of course, Room 40 was established in August 1914. The Queen unveiled a plaque to commemorate the centenary and containing a coded message. I have decoded it an

I have just sent the final proofs back to my publisher for the next novel in my series about the Miller family in WW1. It was odd to read it again in such a short time and so long after I finished the book. However, I am very pleased with it and even I was moved to tears a few times with a couple of emotionally charged scenes. The new plot is set in the early days of the formation of what became to be known as MI5 and MI6 (more accurately, the SIS) and later, the forerunner o

It is being reported by the Media that the Russians have a ship, the Yantar, capable of severing Britain’s underwater communications cables. There are also concerns that the Russians could use underwater drones to attack the network of cables that carry internet and telephone communications around the world. This all sounds very familiar to students of WW1 naval history. Within hours of the declaration of war on 4 August 1914, British cable ships, including the CS Alert, op