The Jail That Went to Sea

In 1941 the British people had their backs to the wall in their lone fight against the might of Hitler's Germany. America was neutral and the violent and dangerous underworld of Glasgow became the starting point for one of the most amazing and, until now, untold episodes of the war. This is an extraordinary account of the most motley crew ever to take a ship to war. Government officials, desperate for men to sail merchants ships across the Atlantic to collect vital equipment and supplies from North America, devised a plan to enlist convicts from Barlinnie Prison and use them to crew a 25,000-ton merchantman, the George Washington. This unprecedented and dangerous operation was probably the nearest thing to press gang tactics since the days of Lord Nelson. Quite simply a choice of death or glory, this book relates the extraordinary story of a band of unfortunates through the accounts of two survivors, the log and memories of Captain David Bone and documents finally de-restricted by the Public Records Office in London.Haining, Peter is the author of 'The Jail That Went to Sea' with ISBN 9781861057273 and ISBN 186105727X.