Customer Reviews

Nelson's Blood: The Story of Naval Rum (Bluejacket Books)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even though most of us are familiar with the association between rum and the sea. "Nelson's Blood" sets the record straight about both this reverred spirit and the men who drunk it as part of their daily ration for 300 years. I have never met anyone who served in the Royal Navy that didn't think this was the finest book on the subject.

Do you like history? Do you like rum? If you answered 'yes' to both questions, then this book is a must for you!

Written by Captain James Pack Obe, this book is the most comprehensive work ever published on rum and the British Royal Navy. The insights into life at sea are exciting and historically correct. From the origin of the rum ration to the Black Tot Day, this book has it all.

I agree with the previous review. This is a wonderful book.

The research is very methodical and James Pack doesn't go on any rants here. So allow me...

Long before the RAF held back the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, 1940, the British Royal Navy stood as the UK's first line of defense. The Royal Navy is the main reason that the Brits still speak English and various forms of Gaelic.

No, you can't have sloshed sailors handling sub-launched ICBM's, but equally, to remove the entire ration of aptly named Nelson's Blood is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Like when they got rid of the full-sized aircraft carriers and their only AEW aircraft, the Fairey Gannet. Goodness knows the lives and equipment this plane could have saved in The Falklands War.

Sometimes the responsible use of alcohol can steady combat nerves and actually reduce the fear factor, which on it's dark side, can lead to panic-initiated mistakes.

A great book.