1919 Merchantmen-at-Arms

Description

First Edition, Illustrated, Publishers' Original Binding

A first edition of David Bone's account of the Merchant Navy during the First World War, with numerous illustrations by Scottish etcher and watercolourist Muirhead Bone, including twenty eight full page illustrations, collated and complete. Written between the shipping crisis of 1917 and the surrender of German undersea arms in 1918, this volume records the work of the Merchants' Service in the First World War. Thrust into the conflict, the Merchants' Service became the suppliers of the Royal Navy, carrying troops, raw materials, and armaments to the armed forces, as well as transporting food, coal, and iron to Britain's home front. Divided into three parts, David Bone discusses the relationship of the Merchants' Service to the navy and the state, before elaborating on their various systems, along with writings from the unsung heroes themselves. Muirhead Bone was best known for his work as a war artist in both world wars.