Gunboat Command

Lieutenant Commander Robert Hichens, DSO and bar, DSC and two bars, or Hitch as he was known to all in the Navy, was the mostly highly decorated RNVR officer in the Second World War despite his tragic death in action in April 1943. Gunboat Command, the inspiring account of Hitch's life, starts by briefly describing his youth in Cornwall and Guernsey, his time at Magdalen College, Oxford and his considerable sporting and professional achievements prior to the outbreak of war. Fortunately he kept a diary of his wartime service, which began in minesweepers. The early entries include his experiences at Dunkirk where he won his frist DSC by twice going ashore to help organize the evacuation. In October 1940 he joined Coastal Forces and quickly gained command, first, of MGB 64 and then his own Flotilla of motor gunboats. Faster and more heavily armed German E-boats which were causing serious losses to inshore convoys, were their principal target. Close-quater night actions, often at high speed in difficult conditions, are graphically describes. Gunboat Command, written by Hitch's son, is more than a thrilling read of naval warfare; it is a tribute to an exceptional man and his colleagues who risked and too often gave their lives in the fight against Nazi tyranny. AUTHOR:After National Service as a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, serving mainly in the Mediterranean Fleet, Antony Hichens read law at Magdalen College, Oxford and took an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He initailly joined Rio Tinto, the international mining company, then Redland, the manufacturer of roof tiles and bricks as its Financial Director, and in time became a Managing Director of Consolidated Gold Fields. He has been Chairman of a number of public companies including Caradon, Lasmo and DS Smith. He and his wife Sczerina live in the depths of the West Dorset countryside with a demanding garden, a library built by Thomas Hardy and three energetic Labradors. Most of their holidays invilve walking, sailing or ancient civilisations. 12 pages of b/w photos