Brian Lavery's extensively researched study takes an in-depth look at the officers of the Royal Navy and the various routes they took from initial recruitment and training to their role in the fighting. The first half of the book looks at the selection and training of all types of officers, from experienced yachtsmen and tradesmen to ordinary seamen, and includes a chapter on the training establishment where recruits were prepared for war. The book then follows various recruits into service on board ships. Quotes from well-known actors, writers, and entertainers--John Mills, Alec Guinness, and Evelyn Waugh, among others--show how important their wartime service was to their subsequent careers.