She was the last icon of an age of leisurely travel fading into memory even as she embarked on her maiden voyage: a luxurious ocean liner vast and brilliant white, a beacon of elegance and opulence. For a decade P&O’s flagship SS Canberra was the standard passage for any Britons travelling to Australia, and subsequently the voyage of a lifetime for well-heeled cruise passengers. But then in March 1982 Britain stirred itself to go to war for the first time in generations in defence of a lonely and little-known outpost of empire, the Falkland Islands, and the Canberra, its round-the-world cruise suddenly interrupted at Gibraltar for the first of the military to board, found itself, surreally, requisitioned as a troopship to carry the Marines and the Paratroops into battle.
This is the astonishing story of how a luxury liner and her civilian crew – as close as family – went from pampering affluent retirees in the Mediterranean to taking thousands of soldiers, who pounded circuits of her creaking decks incessantly to keep fit, and took them down into the bitter winter waters of the South Atlantic. On the day troops landed to recapture the Falklands Canberra found herself in the thick of action with Argentine bombs raining down around her. Against the odds she survived, performing a crucial role as a hospital ship, then taking a vanquished and bewildered conscript army home to Buenos Aires before returning to Southampton, grubby and rust-streaked, forever to be fondly known as the Great White Whale, to a tumultuous hero’s welcome.
This is the extraordinary story untold until now, of how unlikely combatants like waiters, cooks, nurses and cleaners who never in their dreams imagined they could be caught up in a war, found themselves on the front line at the very end of the world. Drawing on dozens of new interviews with those who were there, from the Canberra’s crew to the soldiers and war correspondents who sailed with her, as well as previously unpublished archives, A Very Strange Way To Go To War is a candid, revealing and compelling story of bravery, by turns surprising, tender and deeply moving,. Above all, it is the story of a quintessentially British finest hour, brought about by ordinary men and women, who, when their country called, went all the way.
A Very Strange Way to Go to War
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £2.75
Trade in A Very Strange Way to Go to War: The Canberra in the Falklands for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £2.75, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
A well-written and vivid account that provides a marvellous mix of personal recollection and the compelling tale of the almost surreal events of 30 years ago
(The Telegraph )About the Author
ANDREW VINE is an award-winning journalist and assistant editor of the Yorkshire Post. He is author of Last of the Summer Wine: The Story of the World’s Longest Running Comedy Series, and of A Very Strange Way to Go To War: The Canberra in the Falklands. He lives in Leeds.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Samantha
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love this book, not least because I worked on Canberra for a number of years and recognised some of the characters who worked on her.
I think it would be a great read, no matter how unfamiliar you are with the ship. It gives a great perspective on how very different sets of people come together under strained circumstances and work as a team in preparing for the trip south, and what they experienced in the Falklands. It made me laugh and cry, and reminded me how great the human spirit can be, and what an amazing vessel Canberra was.
I think it would be a great read, no matter how unfamiliar you are with the ship. It gives a great perspective on how very different sets of people come together under strained circumstances and work as a team in preparing for the trip south, and what they experienced in the Falklands. It made me laugh and cry, and reminded me how great the human spirit can be, and what an amazing vessel Canberra was.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By MS
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book tells the story of Canberra going to the Falklands war. The book is a thoroughly gripping account of the call up, conversion, sailing and service of the Great White Whale. From the secret rendez-vous at Gibraltar as the first conversion calculations had to be done, through to the homecoming, the author makes you feel as if you were there with them. The tales of the mini dramas along the way are told in detail, the equipment shortages, the make do approach and the pride of Canberra's crew in doing their bit. Like most wars it began with the delusion that a diplomatic solution was coming and many of the crew were looking forward initially to a different kind of cruise. The author tells of the early friction as the new passengers adjusted to their surroundings and the early pointless rows about things like not wearing boots to run around the deck. We hear some of the P&O head office dealings with MoD and the problem they faced when MoD insisted no non-Brits were to be on the ship.
The incongruity is sailing to battle at the ends of the earth in the glamorous surroundings of a cruise ship shines through the pages, the P&O crew doing their best to keep things as close to normal operation as possible, the band of the marines becoming strolling players providing entertainment. The story becomes more tense as all realize that they won't be turning back and you can feel you are there in San Carlos water as the Argentinians unsuccessfully target the ship repeatedly. The book tells of the great animosity between Canberra and QE2 when she eventually comes south. We hear how QE2 refused to transfer supplies of food to Canberra with the troops despite the latter ship running low - the cunarder claiming she needed it for the return journey. In fact she dumped tons of food back in Southampton, rotten and unused. The amazement and fright of the Argentinian prisoners aboard the ship is also documented. They boarded a ship that they genuinely believed had been sunk.
For anyone interested in feeling the atmosphere, the tension, the hopes and fears of a modern day troopship, this is a thoroughly good read. Highly recommended.
The incongruity is sailing to battle at the ends of the earth in the glamorous surroundings of a cruise ship shines through the pages, the P&O crew doing their best to keep things as close to normal operation as possible, the band of the marines becoming strolling players providing entertainment. The story becomes more tense as all realize that they won't be turning back and you can feel you are there in San Carlos water as the Argentinians unsuccessfully target the ship repeatedly. The book tells of the great animosity between Canberra and QE2 when she eventually comes south. We hear how QE2 refused to transfer supplies of food to Canberra with the troops despite the latter ship running low - the cunarder claiming she needed it for the return journey. In fact she dumped tons of food back in Southampton, rotten and unused. The amazement and fright of the Argentinian prisoners aboard the ship is also documented. They boarded a ship that they genuinely believed had been sunk.
For anyone interested in feeling the atmosphere, the tension, the hopes and fears of a modern day troopship, this is a thoroughly good read. Highly recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Sue
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is good reading for anyone who sailed on the Canberra as I did for many year, a very enjoyable book well written in honour of a grand old lady of the sea's.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Well told story of the Canberra and her crews part in the Falklands campaign. I always thought that the Canberra and QE2 performed in a similar way. Not so. Read more
Published 4 months ago by NickC
5.0 out of 5 stars
Learn about the Falklands war.
Great book, very interesting since I had been on the Canberra. Good bit of history that I didn't know too much about especially how the merchant navy was so important in this war.
Published 5 months ago by Malc
5.0 out of 5 stars
riveting reading
a fantastic book, as one who served with the band during this time it brought back many memories both good and bad.
definetly a book to recommend
definetly a book to recommend
Published 7 months ago by geordie
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Military
- Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Europe
- Books > Biography > War & Espionage > Falklands War
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Falklands War
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Ireland
- Books > History > Maritime History > Battleships
- Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Naval Forces
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
