In March 1976 the Daily Telegraph kindly printed a letter in which I asked survivors of the Zeebrugge Raid, or their relations, to get in touch with me. 182 replies came in, many from people who had taken part. They came from many places, including Canada, New Guinea and the West Indies. I would like to express my gratitude to the Daily Telegraph for thus making possible the presentation of the raid from many viewpoints.
I also wish to thank all those who wrote to me or telephoned, many of whom sent in personal accounts, photographs, and helpful suggestions. My thanks are also due to Major Alistair Donald and the staff of the Royal Marines Museum at Eastney.
Lord Keyes, son of Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Keyes, very kindly provided me with a copy of his father’s plan of the Zeebrugge attack, and several other illustrations. He also supplied me with reference material from which I could check various details of the raid.
Every attempt has been made to trace owners of copyright material. Anyone who feels that unacknowledged copyright material may have been used inadvertently in this book is requested to get in touch with the author so that the matter may be resolved.
My thanks are also due to Lord Kennet who allowed me to quote from his father’s account of the battle first published in Sea and Land (1920) to Messrs Chatto and Windus for permission to use an extract from J. Keble Bell’s The Glory of Zeebrugge (1918) and to The Bodley Head for permission to use letters from Engineer Commander Bury and Commander Osborne first published in Stanley Coxon’s Dover during the Dark Days and to Commander Rosoman’s son, Mr R. C. S. Rosoman, for permission to use his father’s letter in the same book.