Mike Williams - The Secret Channel

Review by Babs Simpson on show 5th Nov.
the Secret Channel and the Channel of Invasion are books by Mike Williams telling the story of the Naval Base on Tresco during the Second World War in the form of fiction which is most evidently based on the actual events. He has created a believable lead character in Lieutenant Richard Tremayne, a boat captain for one of the so-called mystery ships that operated from Tresco Channel. Their mission was to supply the Resistance in Brittany with equipment as well as taking agents of the Special Operations Executive in the UK to France. In addition, they rescued downed airmen who had escaped in Europe and brought them home, plus members of the French Resistance and their families who had been betrayed and were in mortal danger. Theirs was very dangerous work. They operated, mostly under cover of darkness, in waters that were patrolled by the Germans and in sight of the French coastline, also very heavily defended. Some of the boats used were French fishing vessels, repainted as necessary with ever-changing designs decreed by the occupying Germans, so they could mingle unobserved with those French boats allowed to fish off the Brittany coast.
Later in the War, HMS Godolphin, as the Tresco base was called, was heavily involved in the D Day landings in 1944 and the second book, channel of Invasion, is based on that time.
The books are well written with a feeling of real authenticity. The author himself served firstly in the Royal Navy as an Intelligence Officer, then in the Royal Marines and his knowledge of both services is apparent throughout.
The stories are very exciting in their accounts of naval engagements and land skirmishes, the awful repercussions of the Blitz on England and the great camaraderie that existed in Wartime Britain. There is also a touching love story and the various locations on Scilly are well described and again authentic.
I would thoroughly recommend these books to anyone who is interested in Scilly's recent past, anyone who, like me is always eager to learn more about WW11 and anyone who enjoys a well told, exciting and believable story. I suppose I would compare them to Alastair MacLeans novels but far more interesting with the Scilly connection.
Apparently there is a follow-up, The Channel to Freedom, due soon and I'm looking forward to it. The books are published by Thorogood and available from Bourdeaux Bookshop of St Marys as well as other outlets.
by Babs Simpson, IOS.