News, Articles and Comment

Ed. It was timely that Dr Nina Baker’s book on the brave Scottish Merchant Navy women who lost their lives in World War II should cross our desks the other week and I am grateful to Lt Cdr Helen Taylor RN for reviewing it. It generated the question, what about the 75,000 members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service known as the WRNS? It was a less enlightened era so their primary purpose was ‘to free up manpower to serve at sea’ but that meant that they got to serve in many important roles across the war effort from parachute packing, to ammunition technicians, photographers, coxswains, drivers, photographers and coders. Our grateful thanks to Dr Jo Strange for the following taken from her book on the history of the WRNS published in 2016.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. Ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2026, Lt Cdr Helen Taylor RN considers a short book exploring the life stories of 18 Scottish women who served in the Merchant Navy in the First and Second World Wars, and made the ultimate sacrifice.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book providing a “delightful voyage through over two centuries of female sailors navigating their often tempestuous course towards equality in seafaring.”

Ed. An extensive and personal investigation into the microhistory of HMS Wager, a W-class destroyer that operated with the British Pacific Fleet (BPF). Written for the 80^th Anniversary of VJ Day.

Ed. With original research to argue her case, the author investigates the perceptions and reality of women serving in the Armed Forces. A 30 minute read.

Ed. As the Chairman observes, another three months of hectic activity on the world stage have flown by. We have been reminded of the awesome power of the US military in action and relearned the importance of husbanding realistic and considered intelligence assessments which will take months, not hours, to assess and really need to remain behind the green baize door.

Ed. In October 1938, in the aftermath of the Munich conference, Admiral Sir Reginald Plunkett-Drax argued that the international situation necessitated radical defence measures, including national service. Reprinted from the NR’s Archive [26/4, p. 595]. A 15 minute read.

Ed. This article, originally published in 1988 for the NR’s 75^th anniversary, examined the then current state of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) during a transformative time for women serving in the RN. Reproduced here from the NR’s archives for International Women’s Day. A 20 minute read.

Ed. The author provides a personal reflection on RN-USN cooperation, a subject of continuing interest in the NR. A 5 minute read.