Radio Man

Radio Man consists of never before published stories and pictures about the British Merchant Marine seen through the eyes of Ship's Radio Officer Alan Patterson. His captivating diaries offer rare 1st- person insight to the harrowing state of the Pacific theatre at the time, taking us from 1938 through to the end of the war.

Here is a glimpse of a typical day in Alan's life as the Ship's Radio Man.

"We saw no patrol ships at all while at sea, the poor old Merchant Service had to just plug along on its own with no protection and no guns. However, the Navy had put a gun platform on our stern before we left, so we built an imitation of a gun with a mast spar and an empty oil drum. We hoped that if a sub saw it at a distance it might possibly mistake it for a gun and so prevent it surfacing and shelling us. I couldn't help thinking how futile and rather pathetic this was but still while there is life there is hope. We arrived in Calcutta safely-- thanks to no one but ourselves. Shortly after this trip we were given guns and taught how to use them!"

Alan and his crew managed to escape submarine wolf packs several times. On one especially dangerous run near India, he discovered that the fine bunch of courageous men from the ship he had just left had been blown to bits while returning to India on a British India Vessel loaded with munitions.

Alan writes about more than just the war however. His diary is also a wealth of historical sidebars and anecdotal observations covering both India and Burma as World War II smouldered ominously in the closing distance. Here is one of those obscure front-row seats which imparts a genuine sense of immediacy to the turbulence of the the times.

One can almost sense the destruction and devastation caused by the bombing and the plundering as Alan's eye-witness accounts unfold before you. Radio Man is a fascinating read and it will keep you intrigued until the very end.

To see rare photos from World War II at sea, check out the author's website.

www.mahriesradiodreams.com