'It was a farewell to all my pleasant life, a farewell to the enjoyment of summer. My theme was that we were all about to undergo a change. The hills and the streams would remain, the sun would set as redly on the western sea, but they would not ever be quite the same for us again.' In the 1930s, Norris Davidson was based in London, where he was involved in pioneering work on film, radio and documentaries. By the start of the 1940s, he was working in the wartime Marine Service. Davidson's informative account of his experience in the Irish Marine Service during the Second World War gives a refreshing insight into many aspects of the defence forces preparing to defend the state to the best of its ability. Often humorous and sometimes moving, it is an engaging account that will appeal to all who are interested in Irish maritime and military history, as well as day-to-day life in 1940s Ireland. Before his death, Norris entrusted the manuscript to ex-naval officer Daire Brunicardi, who has added to the manuscript with a foreword to set the scene, as well as providing some fascinating photos and wartime ephemera.

From the first proposal that Cork Harbour was more suitable as a naval base than Kinsale, development began which would continue for almost 200 years. This book outlines that history, from the development of Haulbowline Island, and covering its many incarnations during that time. During WW1, it became a front line base and the headquarters of the admiral directing the war against the U-boats. The first US flotillas were based here, and, after armistice, the British navy were based here during the Irish Civil War. Now, the naval base is a modern, thriving organisation, but one with a fascinating history which is fully explored within this book.