The Hood Battalion

Len Sellers uses many first-hand accounts and original illustrations to trace the fascinating story of "Winston's Little Army", the Hood Battalion, through the idealism, bravery and subsequent tragedies of World War I.

The Royal Naval Division, Churchill's brainchild, was formed at the beginning of the First World War by the Admiralty from large numbers of naval reservists.

Later were added new army recruits from the six areas of Tyne & Wear, Clyde, Sussex, Liverpool, Bristol and London.

A Division grew up that was different, not as other men, but as soldier sailors and which resulted in many interesting combinations of officers and men.

They were thrust into action before the division was weaned, as an infantry unit, in a hopeless but heroic endeavour to save the Belgium fortress of Antwerp and in order to delay the enemy and support the retreating troops to save our doors to Europe, the Channel ports.

This is a story of a half-breed outfit, neither fish nor fowl, soldier or sailor.

The army could never decide.