Book Reviews
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Book Reviews Geoffrey Bennett. Freeing the Bal- in Moscow during the first decade tic 1918-1920. Barnsley, South of the Cold War and continued upon Yorks.: Pen & Sword Maritime, his return to London. www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, 2017. The book is essentially a 263 pp., illustrations, maps, appen- biography of Rear Admiral Sir dices, bibliography, index. UK Walter Cowan, as the title of the £19.99, US $34.95: ISBN 978-1- first edition suggests, set in the 147389-307-8. context of Bolshevik consolidation and military operations during the This modern reprint of a book Russian civil war, lingering German which first appeared as Cowan’s influence and meddling post- War in 1964 and then again in 2002 armistice in the eastern territories, under the present title, comes with a and the aspirations and struggles of new preface and updates to the last smaller Baltic nations created out of chapter and appendices by Rodney the former Russian empire—Latvia, Bennett, son of the author Geoffrey Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland. Bennett. Otherwise the pages, Cowan, described as a fighting maps, and photographs are directly admiral in the best traditions of the reproduced from the original first Royal Navy, experienced a varied edition. Geoffrey Bennett, who career before and after his command died in 1983, was a serving officer of naval forces in the Baltic, a high in the Royal Navy known for his point which garnered him the title prose and writings on naval history, Baronet of the Baltic. During the including a considered biography of Second World War, he served with Admiral Charles Beresford and the commandos in a reduced rank books on naval battles in each of the and, while attached to an Indian two world wars. His written work Army mechanized unit, was cap-- combined the insights of a pro- tured by Rommel’s Afrika Korps fessional officer, with meticulous (later exchanged due to his age). research in primary sources. The Given vague instructions in 1919, inspiration for this little known Cowan led a force of cruisers and episode of Royal Navy operations in destroyers into the heavily mined the Baltic Sea after the First World Baltic Sea to assert British interests, War started when Geoffrey Bennett shore up new governments in the served as the British naval attaché Baltic states through demonstrations The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord, XXVIII, No. 1 Winter 2017), 39-96. 40 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord of force and diplomatic efforts, Goltz and Baron Carl Gustav deter substantial remaining German Mannerheim, one seen as forces and their generals, and check obstructing Cowan’s efforts and the the Red Navy from operating in an other a man of action and strength aggressive manner from its main in Finland. Of course, the book is at base in Kronstadt near St. Peters- its best in describing the naval burg. It was a fragile time between battles and operations that the war and peace, when the stakes inferior British naval forces under were very high for the players on Cowan’s leadership conducted the local scenes though a mere against the Red Navy. Two Russian sideshow for Great Britain and destroyers were captured and given higher political councils. Cowan to the Estonians, and motor torpedo and his warships operated actively boats launched surprise attacks for the rest of the year until the sinking a cruiser shelling a shore political situation stabilized and fortification and then several events allowed for their withdrawal. battleships and auxiliaries right in The narrative presented by the main Kronstadt fleet base. Bennett is somewhat dated by British naval aircraft and sub- present standards of historiography, marines also operated in the Baltic. reflecting a style of writing in naval Cowan took the initiative and history now fifty years on. His achieved local command of the sea descriptions of the Admiralty and that enabled offensive actions. The men who rose to command over Soviet fleet, with its superior Royal Navy ships seem almost numbers and larger naval units, kept quaint at times, as much as Cowan’s to port and barely escaped love for the hounds and hunting. disbandment at Lenin’s hands due Nonetheless, Bennett was the first to Trotsky’s convincing and the to chronicle these relatively obscure need for defence against White and naval operations and political events supporting intervention forces in the Baltic, and to integrate the during the civil war. Soviet sailors use of translated Soviet historical eventually mutinied in 1921. The accounts with personal papers and British faced their own unrest and public records. No attempt has been mutinies among dissatisfied sailors made to list newer secondary serving under harsh and isolated sources in the bibliography and conditions, and Bennett goes to what might have been written since some length to absolve Cowan from in English and foreign languages responsibility for those in his own from the Russian Federation and Baltic naval force. Cowan made present Baltic states belonging to high demands on his sailors and the European Union, or released by officers and was not known for his way of archival files and collect-- affection. ions. Much attention is given to the Reissuing the book, mostly in personalities of leading figures such its original form with a new cover as Major General Rudigen von der and title, makes the naval history of Book Reviews 41 Geoffrey Bennett more widely up, Dr. J. Dwight of the American available, as older editions are out Ornithological Society came to the of print and fetch high prices in rare island in 1898 to study bird life. book shops. There is not really very Mr. Bouteillier's eldest daughter, much new here for naval historians Sarah Beatrice (Trixie) "...begged or students of Baltic or Russian her father to build a small darkroom history. Rodney Bennett seems for her off the big kitchen... with content to ride on the coat tails of just enough room for a small table, his father instead of writing some- a shelf for her chemicals, and a rope thing else or substantially revising to hang the photographs from...". content. She then started preserving Dr. Dwight's photographs. In 1901, Chris Madsen Alexander Graham Bell, who first Toronto, Ontario came to the island in 1898 searching for friends who had been among the victims of the ship La Burgoyne, Jill Martin Bouteillier. Sable Island driven on to the shoals surrounding in Black and White: Images of our the island, gave her a Brownie Past. Halifax, NS: Nimbus camera with which she preserved Publishing, www.nimbus.ca, 2016. her own countless images and 136 pp., illustrations, maps. CDN memories. Coincidentally, W.E. $15.95, paper. ISBN 978-1-77108- Saunders of the Ornithological Soc- 381-2. iety was also visiting the island that summer (he published an article Sailors usually steer clear of Sable about this in The Auk, the society's Island. That has not always been journal) and Trixie may well have possible. The illustration on page printed some of his photographs as 28 of this book, Simon McDonald's well. In 1910, as she was approach- 1890 shipwreck map, annotated in ing her thirtieth birthday, she left 1911 by Robert Jarvis Bouteillier, Sable Island for good. Her daughter then the Superintendant of Sable Jill, who would hear all Trixie's Island, makes the point. At least stories about Sable Island, has now 350 vessels are now known to have preserved and published a wide come to grief there since the selection of the photographs. sixteenth century. Reference to the Remarkable illustrations, most internet will reveal various accounts of them from Trixie's own camera, that enlarge upon these tragedies, are reproduced on virtually every but what this book does, much more page of the book. The accompany- effectively than the internet, is to ing narrative is particularly effect- chronicle the experiences of a ive. A tintype studio picture of family living permanently on the Trixie, aged five, and her brother island, Dick, aged three, taken before the Between 1890 and 1919, while family moved to Sable Island, helps the Bouteillier family was growing to put the book in proper context. 42 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Subsequent photographs bring to stations, and trained the lifesaving life the activities of the family, the crews. And he established the lifesaving crews under Mr. circumstances in which gardening, Bouteillier's direction, the many domestic life, school, hunting, visitors who had enough imag- famous visitors, farming, entertain- ination and confidence to venture ment and leisure, meteorology, out to the island, and the survivors among many other activities could of shipwrecks who, from time to thrive. Under his direction the time, found themselves guests of the Sable Island horses not only sur- Bouteillier family until they could vived, but were put to good uses. be transported to the mainland. Sable Island is presented in this Families whose living depends book in all its complexity. In my upon the sea accept danger and opinion, it is a wonderful contri- hardship, something that was espec- bution to maritime literature. It ially true in the days before radar deserves a wide audience. and other modern aids to navigation. Perhaps the great virtue of this book W.A.B. Douglas is that it reveals so well circum- Ottawa, Ontario stances of the time. Jill Bouteillier has produced a wonderful record of the personalities who lay behind a Angus Britts. Neglected Skies: The truly astonishing record of life- Demise of British Naval Power in saving. She shows how, responsible the Far East, 1922-42. Annapolis, as he was for the effective work MD: Naval Institute Press, carried out on Sable Island during www.usni.org, 2017.