Some "Book Reviews": ‘Bismarck, Dorsetshire and Memories’ by Ray Lock

Article Title: Some "Book Reviews": ‘Bismarck, Dorsetshire and Memories’ by Ray Lock

Category/Tags (key words): books, book reviews, the Book ‘Bismarck, Dorsetshire and Memories’, Ray Lock, Warship World, autobiography, war stories, memoirs, military history, naval, battle-ships

Web site: www.bismarckdorsetshireandmemories.wordpress.com

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Bismarck, Dorsetshire and Memories is another good book, produced privately, that we are fortunate to be able to read and learn more about a sailor's war.

"Ray Lock was born in Bulawayo (in the former Rhodesia)...complement of the 13 000 ton-cruiser, the Dorsetshire. This was one of several British ships....

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I WAS A WITNESS TO THE SINKING OF THE BISMARCK!!

Ray was on deck of HMS Dorsetshire, the ship that fired the last 2 torpedoes that sunk the Bismarck, and was able to watch the torpedoes in the water and the final sinking of the Bismarck. He was later on board when the Dorsetshire was sunk by a Japanese air attack off the coast of Ceylon. Ray has now written a book entitled BISMARCK, DORSETSHIRE and MEMORIES and it comes strongly recommended as a very personal and unusual war history by a local Durban man.

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Ray Lock, a South African, tried to join the South African Air Force at the age of 16 as a pilot. Told he would have to wait, he like many others went to a service that would take him, then and there. He thought the war would be over by the time he allowed to join the air force. Joining the Royal Navy instead, he had in fact lots of time to get involved in some well known and some lesser, but equally important actions.

Throughout this book is packed with detail and without doubt will prove of interest to those who like the nitty, gritty of Naval Life. The author served on DORSETSHIRE, prior to the BISMARCK action for some time and until the ships loss in the Indian Ocean, where he was wounded.

Both CORNWALL and DORSETSHIRE were sunk by Japanese aircraft attack. The survivors, many wounded, including Mr Lock, were then machine gunned in the water. Sighted by an aircraft, the group was rescued by HM Ships ENTERPRISE, PANTHER and he was personally picked up by PALADIN. After extensive recovery time in hospital Mr Lock was selected for Officer Training, after which he was seconded again to the Royal Navy. Further service in small craft including HDMLs in the Mediterranean with even more operational diversity concluded the author's war.

“‘Bismarck, Dorsetshire and Memories’ is another good book, produced privately, that we are fortunate to be able to read and learn more about a sailor's war. This one is beautifully presented.

From ‘Warship World’

A NEW BOOK

Many of our members will remember a marvellous DDH talk given to the Society on 13 February 2003 by Ray Lock, called I WATCHED THE SINKING OF THE BISMARCK. Ray was on deck of HMS Dorsetshire, the ship that fired the last 2 torpedoes that sunk the Bismarck, and was able to watch the torpedoes in the water and the final sinking of the Bismarck. He was later on board when the Dorsetshire was sunk by a Japanese air attack off the coast of Ceylon. Ray has now written a book entitled BISMARCK, DORSETSHIRE and MEMORIES and it comes strongly recommended as a very personal and unusual war history by a local Durban man. This is relevant to the write up on our MAIN speakers talk last month.
Sourced from http://samilitaryhistory.org/5/d05junne.html
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Ray Lock has written a book titled ‘Bismarck, Dorsetshire and Memories’ , which cover his years in the SA Navy during the Second World War. He initially tried to sign up for the SA Airforce, but then signed up for the Royal Navy. During the war Ray was a crew-member of the ship (cruiser) Dorsetshire and participated in the sinking of the German battle-ship Bismarck on 27th May 1941, when he was 18 years old. The ship was ultimately sunk by the Japanese in the Far East. 233 men lost their lives that day, but 3 survived after floating in the sea for many hours… and Ray was one of those 3!! He still meets with one of the other two. Vernon Bodle, who now lives in Milnerton.

From SACS Old Boys magazine (April 2005)

“A very well presented book, nicely printed, good quality photographs and most of all very interesting.”

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the rich and varied life of the author, including being an eye-witness to the sinking of the Bismarck. Young readers will be especially interested and fascinated by Ray's well-written experiences from an earlier generation....and the horrors of war. A most revealing and excellent read!"

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For further info on this book, email clock@slingshot.co.nz

Or click on

www.bismarckdorsetshireandmemories.wordpress.com and www.lulu.com/craiglock

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"Man is mind
and evermore he takes the tool of thought
and, shaping what he wills,
brings forth a thousand joys,
a thousand ills.
He thinks in secret
and it comes to pass -
Environment is but his looking glass." - anon

Thanks so much for sharing with me, dad. Your spirit (“driven”) lives on, as I “work” * on sharing your unique story.

* It’s not really “work”, but a “labour of love”.

“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind”

• Winston Churchill (in his speech to Harvard University in 1943)