Names like Ben-My-Chree, Tynwald and Lady of Mann are synonymous with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, the world's oldest shipping line that is still in existence. In its long history, there can have been no greater test of the company's ships or its men than the Second World War. As well as maintaining a crucial link to the Isle of Man (in spite of U-boats and mines), the vessels and their compliments saw vital service as troop carriers at Dunkirk, on D-Day and elsewhere. For the first time, this book explores what it was really like to crew these ships, often under fire, and frequently in danger. Using previously unreleased archive material, and sometimes forgotten personal accounts, this book weaves a gripping narrative of what was arguably the Isle of Man's greatest contribution to victory in the Second World War - its fleet.

Matthew Richardson is Curator of Social History at Manx National Heritage. He has a long term interest in military history, in particular the First and Second World Wars. This is his eleventh book for Pen and Sword, and is the culmination of many years of study and research into the role of the Isle of Man between 1939 and 1945\. He is fortunate enough to have met and spoken with many of the contributors whose words appear in this book.