Lead with Courage. Learning to Lead from those who have Gone Before. Published by the Britannia Museum Trust Press Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, 2025. ISBN 978-1-917152-15-0 (Hardback) ISBN 978-1-917152-17-4 (E-book).
Reviewed by David Hobbs
This innovative book is published by the Britannia Museum Trust which has already established a reputation for the quality of its Britannia Naval Histories of World War II.
These are based on original Admiralty battle summaries held in the College archive which have been reorganised into a contemporary format with addition of new forewords written by naval historians and veterans to complement the original text. Lead with Courage has a foreword written by General Sir Gwyn Jenkins KCB OBE ADC Royal Marines, the First Sea Lord, and an introduction by the Captain. Sponsorship for the book’s publication was provided by the Association of Royal Naval Officers and two London Worshipful Companies, Leathersellers and Chartered Accountants. It is liberally illustrated with coloured photographs showing contemporary scenes at BRNC Dartmouth with a small number of black and white images and drawings which illustrate events that are described. The text runs to 75 pages including photographs of most of the officers described.
The book’s target audience is revealed in the First Sea Lord’s foreword which begins by stating ‘You are joining the Royal Navy at a time of significant challenge and opportunity’. After reflecting that knowledge of those who have gone before them by new generations of officers will encourage them to think differently, act decisively and lead boldly, General Jenkins adds his belief that leadership is not a destination but a journey and ends emphatically with the words ‘Lead with courage and you will shape a force ready to fight and win under, on, above and from the sea’. The First Sea Lord’s words are followed by the Captain’s introduction in which he observes that the thread of leadership cannot be marked on charts or stitched onto uniforms but forms a ‘Blue Line’ that links every naval officer from Nelson at Trafalgar to Cadets on the parade ground today. He explains that Officer Cadets under training at BRNC were asked to write about inspirational naval leaders but does not say whether they chose their subjects themselves, were each given a name to research or if they drew the names randomly from a list provided by the editorial board. It would have been interesting to know the individual authors’ motivation.
There are twenty-one subjects ranging from World War I, through World War II, the Falklands Conflict of 1982 and into the present day; the majority have photographs of the individual and some have images of their ships. Each is a ‘thumbnail’ sketch, typically two pages long and the chosen individuals include clearance divers, pilots, submariners and surface warfare officers ranging in rank from Lieutenant to Admiral of the Fleet. There are no Royal Marines.
The description of each subject is necessarily brief but even in this format there are positive points, not least that their name is kept alive within new generations who will know, in outline, what they achieved in what were often difficult and dangerous situations.
Whilst not errors as such, the discipline required to write a short history means that some statements should either be omitted or retained with more explanation. An example is on page 61 where Captain Torrens-Spence DSO DSC AFC RN is described. It states that he held commissions ‘not just from the Navy but the Royal Air Force…’. Whilst this is technically correct it should be qualified with the explanation that RN officers serving in the Fleet Air Arm prior to May 1939 were given honorary RAF ranks by the Air Ministry whilst in flying appointments.
The practice ceased after the 1937 Inskip Award gave full control of naval aviation to the Admiralty. Torrens-Spence, therefore, would never have worn RAF uniform, used the honorary rank or thought of himself in any way as an RAF officer. This is an important point to get across and would help to provide a broader understanding picture of the pre-1939 Fleet Air Arm. On the same page it is a little surprising that the fact that he was a recipient of the DSC is mentioned in the text but not that he was also a recipient of the DSO and AFC.
The list includes those who commanded ships from motor torpedo boats and submarines to aircraft carriers and those who exercised task force and fleet command. Admirals include Sir Henry Leach who was First Sea Lord when I was in my first staff appointment and Admiral ‘Sandy’ Woodward of Falkland Task Force fame.
Inevitably the book’s focus is on the RN but its coverage of people and events that form part of a shared history with the RAN will still be of interest to ANI readers with a broad view of naval warfare in the twentieth century. It will hopefully stimulate the interest of many who read these brief accounts to delve further into their subject matter and this is very much to the good.
Lead with Courage has an appeal to readership outside the target group at BRNC and it is to be hoped that other titles will follow it. Any project which instils an active interest among young officers in the history of their service is to be encouraged and I recommend this book as an interesting addition to the historiography of naval operations.
