Ludovic Kennedy Books

In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck headed out into the North Atlantic to raid Allied shipping. Found and shadowed by British cruisers, she was engaged by the Hood and the Prince of Wales. Within minutes she had sunk the former, the pride of the Royal Navy, and damaged the latter. The Bismarck was attacked by Swordfish of the Fleet Air Arm, lost and then relocated, attacked once more and disabled. Now there was no choice for the pride of the Kriegsmarine but to run for safety and the French port of Brest. But then the battleships Rodney and King George V caught up with her.

The 36 murders of the title are those for which convicted men were either executed or served long terms of imprisonment for crimes which they were later found not to have committed. The two immoral earnings refers to the case of Stephen Ward of Profumo fame. Ludovic Kennedy asks what lessons are to be learned, looking at police corruption and judicial complacency in this miscarriages of justice.

In these memoirs, Ludovic Kennedy recalls a life of great richness and diversity as naval hero, historian, journalist, Liberal politician, campaigner against miscarriages of justice and television pundit. Married to Moira Shearer, he describes their travels, their friends and their life together.

Lord Nelson's brilliant naval strategy and unparalleled command gave Britain total supremacy at sea and made him a national hero. Much of his success, however, was also due to the "Band of Brothers" under his command; the most loyal and dedicated officers that the Royal Navy had ever seen. They included Troubridge, that "dear good soul"; Hardy, with whom Nelson was always in accord; Berry, his "right hand"; Fremantle, his staunch supporter; and Hood, gentle and unaffected. Despite their different backgrounds and outlooks, they were united in their devotion to Nelson. Ludovic Kennedy skilfully interweaves the stories of these captains with that of Nelson himself to give a fast-moving and comprehensive picture of a vital decade in naval history. Alongside a vivid and scholarly account of the great battles, he provides a candid and intimate portrait of Nelson, and of his developing intrigue with Lady Hamilton and its repercussions on his relations with his captains.

Ludovic Kennedy explores the question of whether we are any longer justified in interpreting what we call God as an autonomous, sentient being, or whether the time has come to recognize him as we do all history's gods - as images created by the human mind to meet human needs.