Really enjoyed this history of the remote base in the Orkneys, used by the Royal Navy in both World Wars, and told through the recollections of ordinary people who served there (the book was reprinted from the late 1960s). It brought to life the hardships and also the way life was lived aboard the various ships of the time. So a well deserved 5 stars. ( )

Scapa Flow, a large natural harbor in the Orkney Islands in the far north of Scotland that served as the main anchorage for the British fleet during the two world wars. Told largely in the words of the "ordinary" men and women who served there, linked by a clear and sensitive narrative by the two authors, the story of Scapa Flow vividly brings to life a time and a place and a world view that all seem very distant from the manic, self-absorbed, over-the-top world we live in today. The closing chapter about the closing of the base--and what it has meant to the people who served there--is especially poignant. One day I will have to go see this remote, extraordinary place for myself.

See my review dated 11 Jul 2009 on the Amazon website ( )