Douglas Edward Reeman (15 October 1924 – 23 January 2017[1][2]), who also used thepseudonymAlexander Kent, was a British author who wrote manyhistorical novels about theRoyal Navy, mainly set during eitherWorld War II or theNapoleonic Wars. He wrote a total of 68 novels, selling 34 million copies in twenty languages.[3]
Reeman was born inThames Ditton,Surrey, son of Charles "Percy" and Ada Reeman.[2]
At the beginning of theSecond World War he joined theRoyal Navy's boys' training establishmentHMSGanges. In 1940 Reeman was appointedMidshipman, at the age of 16. His initial service was in destroyers on convoy duty in the North Atlantic. During this time his ship was sunk and Reeman was injured by exploding depth charges. Later he transferred toMotor Torpedo Boats and was present subsequently atD-Day in alanding craft. It was then that he was injured badly when his landing craft was hit by shellfire. He finished the war inKiel repairing damage to make the port usable again, with the rank ofLieutenant.[2]
After the war, Reeman joined theMetropolitan Police, serving as a beat officer and later in theCriminal investigation department. At the beginning of theKorean War he rejoined the Navy. At the end of the war he joinedLondon County Council as a child welfare officer, but remained aLieutenant-Commander in theRoyal Naval Reserve.[3]
Reeman'sdebut novel,A Prayer for the Ship, was published in 1958. Reeman is most famous for his series ofNapoleonic naval stories, the main character of which isRichard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam Bolitho. Reeman also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the fictional Blackwood family who served in theRoyal Marines from the 1850s to the 1980s, and a non-fiction account of his own Second World War experiences,D-Day: A Personal Reminiscence (1984). He used the pseudonym Alexander Kent (the real name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War) for his Bolitho novels and his real name for his other novels and non-fiction.
In addition to being an author, Reeman also taughtnavigation foryachting and served as a technical advisor for movies.
Reeman was married twice; first to Winifred Melville, and later, after he was widowed, to Canadian author Kimberley Jordan in 1985.[2]
World War II novels[edit]
| The Blackwood Saga[edit]aka The Royal Marines Saga
Other settings[edit]
| Richard Bolitho novels[edit](using the name Alexander Kent)
Adam Bolitho novels[edit]n.b. these follow directly theRichard Bolitho novels
|
