Ensigns and Echoes

His long absences from home have also enabled him to see the larger picture, to have a clearer perception of his place in the generations which make up his family, and have taught him the real value of friendship and comradeship.

The tales the author can tell are legion and are told to great effect in Ensigns and Echoes, a title which is a reference to the number of flags he has sailed under and also to parallels he has found between his own life and those of his ancestors.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Steve Nicholas chose a life at sea. He joined the Whitley Bay Sea Cadet Corps when he was 12 and enjoyed the life immensely.

Three years later he got his chance to sail on TS Royalist and graduated to the Royal Navy in 1975. The transition was smooth and he served six happy years before being called up to fight in the Falkland Islands.

He was serving on HMS Fearless at the time, which escaped the war with only light damage, but he also attended the RFA LSL Sir Tristram to repair bomb damage, an unforgettable experience which left him in some doubt about continuing his career in the Royal Navy. It was another eight years, however, before he switched to the Merchant Navy, which he still serves.

Ensigns and Echoes gives the reader a glimpse of life at sea which will be familiar to fellow seafarers but of equal interest to anyone wishing to learn of experiences beyond their own.

Ensigns and Echoes
By Steve Nicholas.
Published by Scotforth Books.
ISBN 1 904244 04 1.
Hardback, 145 pages.
Price £14.95 (£1 from the sale of each book will be donated to the King George’s Fund for Sailors and £1 to the South Atlantic Medal Association.)