Malcolm Brown (1) (1930–2018)

Scapa Flow, a large natural harbor in the Orkney Islands in the far north of Scotland that served as the main anchorage for the British fleet during the two world wars. Told largely in the words of the "ordinary" men and women who served there, linked by a clear and sensitive narrative by the two authors, the story of Scapa Flow vividly brings to life a time and a place and a world view that all seem very distant from the manic, self-absorbed, over-the-top world we live in today. The closing chapter about the closing of the base--and what it has meant to the people who served there--is especially poignant. One day I will have to go see this remote, extraordinary place for myself.… (meer)

Brown draws heavily on the Imperial War Museum's extensive collection of letters and diaries which present us with a view of the Great War quite distinct from that of the disillusioned and/or gay poets and other literary figures with whom I at least was more familiar. Tommy Atkins saw things somewhat differently. Tied together with a very well-written if by no means in-depth overview of the year's events. But one can find that elsewhere. Some interesting thoughts on the war's aftermath. All infused with a deep empathy, directly expressed, for the men and women who experienced 1918. A book I'm glad I read in 2018.… (meer)