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The First Sea Lord: Admiral Sir Alan West recently launched the latest edition of the Royal Navy’s official book: The Royal Navy Day by Day.

The Royal Navy Day by Day by Captain Tony Sainsbury and Lieutenant-Commander Lawrie Phillips.

The First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West GCB, DSC, ADC, recently launched the latest edition of the Royal Navy’s official volume: The Royal Navy Day by Day.

(Pictured, above right: Captain Sainsbury, Lawrie Phillips and The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, GCB, DSC, ADC - at the Admiralty House launch of the new volume.)

Those with an interest in Britain’s naval heritage will be delighted with this new edition of this well-known reference book written by leading naval historians Captain Tony Sainsbury VRD, MA, RNR (Retd.) and Lieutenant Commander Lawrie Phillips RD, TD, RNR (Retd). This long-awaited and fully revised edition is copiously illustrated with 500 pictures, drawn mainly from the archives of the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth. Its 656 pages include over seven centuries of naval and maritime endeavour, uniquely preserved as a diary of daily events.

Packed with information on how the Royal Navy was organised and how its sailors were trained, how its ships were designed and manned, how it deterred aggressors, supported friends and fought Britain’s battles, the book also covers those aspects of the Navy that make it a living entity – its unique traditions, special customs, peculiar mannerisms and particular ways. This fascinating diary of daily events truly celebrates the world’s finest navy and will delight historians and casual browsers alike.

Mammoth Tome

The launch was well attended by invited guests from the Royal Navy and the extended naval family, as well as the museum, press and publishing worlds, and was hosted by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West. Speaking at the launch, Admiral West said: “I have no doubt that this new edition of The Royal Navy Day by Day, published in the 200th anniversary year of the Battle of Trafalgar, one of the greatest naval endeavours, will be well received in the Fleet. I commend this admirable book to all those interested in our maritime history.”

He joked that the book should come with a health warning, but he wasn’t only referring to the mammoth size of the tome (641 pages) – the fascinating diary of daily events simply draws one in. He referred to the historical entries in the book recorded for 1 June (the day of the book’s launch), that include: 1794 – ‘The Glorious First of June’. Admiral Earl Howe (Queen Charlotte) defeated Rear-Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse (Montagne) to the west of Ushant; and in 1954 – the first publication of Navy News, when the lead story was the commissioning of the carrier HMS Albion; and 1969 – the installation of the pay computer at Gosport in new Centurian.

The Authors

The Royal Navy Day by Day celebrates the world’s finest navy. It chronicles how the Royal Navy was - and is - organised, how its sailors trained, how ships were designed and manned, how it deterred aggressors, supported friends and fought Britain’s battles. It also covers those aspects of the Navy that make it a living entity – its unique traditions, special customs, peculiar mannerisms and particular ways.

Co-author Captain A.B. Sainsbury VRD, MA, RNR (Retd) saw active service with the Liverpool Fire Service and as a Bevin Boy during the Second World War. He joined the RNVR in 1950 and was a member of the Mitchell Committee on the future of the Reserves. He was awarded the University of London’s Julian Corbett Prize for Naval History.

Fellow scribe Lieutenant-Commander F.L. Phillips RD, TD, RNR (Retd.) was formerly Head of Media Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, to successive Commanders-in-Chief Fleet and Naval Home Command and, earlier, was Head of Publicity at the Ministry of Defence. He is now a professional naval writer, commentator and a Vice-President of the Navy Records Society.

Admiralty House in London’s Whitehall - where the book was launched is itself a Grade II listed building from 1788, Admiralty House served as the official residence of the First Lord of the Admiralty until 1964.

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