The Most Highly Decorated Midshipman in the Second World War. G S (Mick) Stoke MBE, DSC, RN.
By Jeremy Stoke, Pen & Sword Maritime, hardback, 265 pages, 2022, £25. (ISBN 978 1 39907 136 9).
This is not a book about famous ships, explorers, battles or well-known heroes! It is, however, the story of an ordinary young man with no naval or public school background who joined the RN aged 19 at the start of World War 2. This young midshipman’s (later lieutenant’s) documents and family letters were preserved by the family and his story after his death were pieced together by his son Jeremy. The story is of how the war affected the father, and his observations and thoughts at the time. In this sense this is a most valuable piece of, if you like, ‘oral’ history and thoughts written down at the time. War was the making of the young ‘Mick’ Stoke who became a most successful businessman and had success in so many fields post war. He died in 1991.
Mick Stoke finished the war as Paymaster Lieutenant having served ashore during the Mediterranean campaign and also in all seagoing theatres – in the Mediterranean including the Malta convoys and Salerno landings, Arctic convoys, the D Day landings, and finally in the Pacific on an aircraft support carrier. He survived more than one sinking and injuries and was invalided out of the Navy in 1947. He showed, at such a young age, great initiative, heroism and leadership qualities that all his confidential naval reports give glowing references. He was given accelerated promotion.
The subject of this book, in his letters home, gives a vivid eye witness account of the war as he experienced it. Letters which he received from family and his wife, who he married before the end of the war, complete a picture as to how a young man dealt with absence from home and wartime service conditions. All these wartime experiences obviously led to a most successful business career later.
Another excellent feature of this book is the personal photographic history of Stoke’s war. Official photos are mixed with ones of a personal nature. I liked the last but one, a photo of the ship’s cat, A B Spitfire, resting in his hammock!
In conclusion I must congratulate the author of this wartime story by putting together, in a most readable form, material from his father’s archives, official documents in the National Archives, official publications, relevant autobiographies by people directly involved in the war, books relating to the naval war plus referencing four websites!
Martin Hazell