The Fighting Civilians

On a cold, overcast morning in April 1942, Peeby Dale leaves behind his wife and baby daughter to embark on a wartime voyage that would forever change his life. Inspired by true events, this novel recounts the milestones of his epic journey aboard the Natalian. Set against the menacing backdrop of World War Two, The Fighting Civilians is a story about the men of the British Merchant Navy. It is also a story about the human spirit, and how a group of ordinary people learned to cope with extraordinary danger. “I don’t know of anything else written by a serving merchant seaman while aboard ship on passage which captures everyday life as well and as extensively.” Tony Lane, author, The Merchant Seaman’s War.