The Rescue Ships and The Convoys is an expanded new edition of Admiral Schofield’s definitive account of the British convoy rescue ships that was first published in 1968. Once again, the republishing of one of the Admiral’s books is the result of the endeavours of his daughter Victoria Schofield.

In this case Victoria has applied her historian skills to delve into her father’s well-ordered papers to incorporate additional material into the new edition which her father received, mainly from veterans, following the publication of the first edition. The book is all the better for it.

While we may not see the like of convoy rescue ships again, the experiences of their crews, the close relationship between naval and merchant mariners and the spirit of innovation have lessons for today’s mariners.

Read the full review here.

Australian Naval Institute

"This is a story packed with suspense, danger, achievement and tragedy. It is a record of great humanitarian endeavour, of superb acts of courage, of a display of seamanship of the highest order, of a devotion to duty by medical officers under the most arduous conditions imaginable.

This is an excellent book on a subject that was an important part of WW2 history and I would very highly recommend it to our readers."

Shipping, Today & Yesterday

"The book includes several appendices detailing the stories of the individual Rescue Ships, the convoys they escorted, and the lives they saved, the nationalities of survivors, and an explanation of the Convoy Medical Code merchant ships used to request urgent medical assistance from Rescue Ships or escort vessels that had medical officers on board. Together with the extensive end notes and rarely seen vintage photographs, this information adds another layer of context to the impressive record of these remarkable ships."

The Maritime Engineering Journal

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BBC Today Programme - 30/04/24