The Best of Days

Here is a memoir of journeys into deepwaters on merchant ships. There aretranquil tropical harbours and violentstorms far from shore. We are in thewireless room when ships are calling forhelp. The story begins with humbleorigins on the coast of County Durhamsurrounded by family still coming toterms with the Great War. The author'sfather went to war on horseback, yet inthis story we are on the brink of themodern world. The writer was fortunateto join the Merchant Navy in the 1950s,and know its most glorious days. HarryNicholson now lives near Whitby, onthe Yorkshire coast. His other books areTom Fleck, a Tudor novel of Clevelandand Flodden, and its sequel The BlackCaravel. His collected poetry is suitablytitled, Wandering About.