by Shaun Lewis
She felt tempted to creep downstairs to the kitchen. A glass of milk might help her sleep, but she knew it would be cold and dark. Her home in Crosby had been electrified, but this shooting lodge in the midst of Norfolk was still a stranger to gas lighting, even. When Dick had consulted her on the honeymoon plans, she had stated that she wanted to go somewhere quiet and off the beaten track. She had imagined the Lake District. Then Dick had received news of his next appointment and decided that he could not afford to be too far from Harwich or London. She remembered the day Dick had proposed to her in Barrow. She had joked that E9 was her rival for his affection. Now, once again, Dick was excited by the news he was to have a command, only this time she would have several rivals. When their honeymoon finished the following week, Dick was to take command of another blessed E-boat. Soon thereafter, he was to sail her into the Baltic and take up his appointment as the senior officer of the small submarine force based there. Elizabeth shivered at the thought of the Russian winter and slipped back into bed beside her husband. For now at least, she was his only love and she might as well take advantage of it. She nuzzled up to his prone body and began to caress him intimately. If she couldn’t sleep, then there were other ways to occupy the time.
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Author’s Note
Ian Fleming wrote, ‘Everything I write has a precedent in history.’ This is most certainly true in the case of, The Custom of the Trade. The plot and several of the characters are very much based on real events and people. However, as is the privilege of a writer, I have amalgamated real people into fictional characters, played with the timing of actual events and altered historical facts to suit my story.
The first successful escape from a sunken submarine did not take place until later in 1912, and from a German submarine. The D-class submarines were not actually fitted with internal watertight bulkheads so the escape I have described would not have been possible. I hope my readers will forgive such artistic licence. Richard Miller’s heroic actions were inspired by those of Max Horton, Edward Boyle and Martin Nasmith. For a more accurate, but still gripping account of the submariners’ war in the Sea of Marmara I recommend the book, Dardanelles Patrol by Peter Shankland and Anthony Hunter, sadly now out of print. I hope my story will inspire many readers to learn a little more about a very successful campaign, but largely forgotten because of the failure of the amphibious operation.
Happily, Richard has survived and we hope to meet him again in the Baltic. In the meantime, we will soon learn more of his brother Peter’s contribution to naval intelligence in the First World War.
Acknowledgements
Many people have, both knowingly and unknowingly, helped me along the journey to have this book published. It started with my parents who scrimped and saved to give me my education. Rodney Jones and the late Mr Mottershaw (never to be known by his Christian name), my History masters at school, inspired in me a love for the subject. My good friend, John Drummond, not only suffered the boredom of a running commentary on the progress of my writing, but offered much technical advice on submarine operations. Local crime writer, Roger A Price, provided much encouragement and advice on the murky world of publishing. Dr Hilary Johnson and her professional readers offered invaluable advice in turning my early drafts of the novel into its present form. Sheila Turner helped with some proof-reading. I am indebted, too, to Endeavour Press who have given me my first break in writing and treated me most professionally and courteously. Finally, but by no means least, I am grateful to my wife, Hilary, for both putting up with me whilst I wrote this novel, and for freeing me up from the business in order to find the time to write it. I owe you all my thanks.
