About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
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Description
In January 1944, Vice Admiral Percy Walker Nelles was fired from his position as head of the Royal Canadian Navy. Betrayed reveals the true story behind the dismissal: a divisive power struggle between two elite groups within the RCN pitted the navy’s regular officers against a small group of self-appointed spokesmen for the voluntary naval reserve. Threats of public scandal, mass insurrection, and political intimidation caused one of the worst breakdowns ever in Canadian civil-military relations. This fascinating investigation into the machinations of a divided navy tackles important questions of military professionalism, leadership, and identity.
Contributor Notes
Richard O. Mayne is a historian with the Department of National Defence’s Directorate of History and Heritage in Ottawa.
Editorial Reviews
[Mayne’s] insights into the cultural clash between parts of the reserves and regular officers are interesting and truly original. The book is highly recommended for specialists and informed general readers in Canadian naval history.
— International Journal of Maritime History, Vol. XIX, No.1
Betrayed has been attractively produced and includes excellent photographs not previously published, extensive endnotes and a comprehensive index which enables the reader to easily zero in on details. Based on careful research and rich in detail, this is a revealing look at how the strains of managing the creation of a modern navy while fighting a vicious campaign proved overwhelming for both the minister and his senior professional advisor. With its rich store of details this book is an essential source of information about internal dynamics within the RCN between 1940 and 1944. Fascinating.
— The Northern Mariner, Volume XVI, No. 4
Mayne's exhaustively researched and crisply written Betrayed is the sorry tale of tensions within the navy and between the RCN and its government.... The cognoscenti will see Mayne's book for the wonderful revelation it is. He has exposed the rich texture of the navy's internal politics and shed light on the machinations of some of the RCN's key officers during the most difficult years of the war.
— H-Canada
