Abstract
Bernard Edwards’ Churchill’s Thin Grey Line studies the confrontations between British merchant ships and the Axis fleets. It is an accessible read, aimed perhaps at those who would like an introduction to the subject.
Edwards has taken a case study approach to the material. The 19 chapters relate different encounters between British merchant ships and Axis U-boats and commerce raiders. This episodic approach allows Edwards to sample the breadth of the experience of British merchant seamen between 1939 and 1945. The conflict is therefore examined through the lens of the experiences of individual merchant ships and their respective crews. His focus on this human aspect emphasises an interesting dimension that is sometimes lost when dealing with the larger picture of the war. This volume is clearly extensively researched, with emphasis placed on both the ships and the crews. Edwards makes liberal use of personal testimonies interwoven into the narrative, to produce what reads as a knowledgeable volume. Moreover, in dealing with challenges to British merchant ships from the German, Italian and Japanese fleets, it provides a more layered account than one solely focusing on the German U-boats.
There are, however, a few issues with the volume. Whilst it is beneficial in show casing first-hand accounts, the frequency of these extended quotations, on occasion, dwarfs the narrative threads of Edwards’s commentary. In places, Edwards allows these accounts to speak for him, with the result that his analysis is, at times, overshadowed. Edwards does go some way to contextualising the specific encounters covered in this volume, for example, the importance of Operation Pedestal. However, it is felt that this volume would benefit from a deeper engagement with the wider narrative of the Second World War. The exclusive focus on these case studies has resulted in a loss of historical contextualisation. Moreover, this lack of a more comparative analysis means that it runs the risk of becoming repetitive in places, with case study following case study. Further, although a bibliography is included, there are no footnotes. As Edwards makes frequent use of extensive quotations, the inclusion of references would have added a degree of clarity.
However, Edwards makes a valid contribution to an often overlooked subject area and clearly conveys salient issues, such as the unequal treatment and terms of service faced by the merchant seamen, in comparison to the Royal Navy. This volume provides a clear and informative narrative, easily digestible to a readership looking for a good, well researched, introductory text to the subject matter.