Jones, Peter Salt in his Veins

The Life of Vice Admiral Sir Albert Poland KBE CB DSO DSC

Vice-Admiral Sir Albert "Patsy" Poland (18951967) hailed from a distinguished naval family and looked back on an eventful career spanning two world wars. Poland spent the majority of the First World War aboard the battlecruiser *New Zealand*, participating in the actions in the Heligoland Bight and on the Dogger Bank, as well as the Battle of Jutland. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for commanding a torpedo boat during the raid on Ostend. After the war, Poland served in the Russian Civil War and subsequently commanded gunboats in China and destroyers in the Mediterranean. Poland's service during the Second World War proved even more eventful. The historian Donald Macintyre described him as the most frequently bombed officer in the Royal Navy. During the Norwegian Campaign, he commanded the sloop *Black Swan*, which, despite being subjected to heavy bombing, miraculously survived the ordeal. As one of Admiral Andrew Cunningham's closest confidants, Poland directed naval supply operations for besieged Tobruk and subsequently led the renowned 14th Destroyer Flotilla in the Second Battle of Sirte. At the end of the war, Poland accepted the surrender of Japanese forces at Sabang. By tracing the trajectory of such a career, the book *Salt in His Veins* recountsin vivid detailsome of the Royal Navy's greatest triumphs and most severe tribulations of the 20th century.