Ludovic Kennedy, HMS Rawalpindi, and wartime publishing

Ludovic Kennedy later became a prominent broadcaster and naval historian, but this account was written from his own wartime service aboard HMS Tartar. His father had commanded HMS Rawalpindi when the armed merchant cruiser was sunk, giving the younger Kennedy a direct family connection to the naval war he described. The book appeared in 1942, close enough to the events that censorship and morale shaped what could be published. A chapter touching on his father's ship was permitted partly because the resulting account was considered useful for wartime morale.