LLoyd's List
For this reviewer's money, Rule Britannia is Peter Padfield's best book so far [1981]. It affords a hitherto unequalled insight into the human side of the British Navy in its greatest days, into the spirit and character of sailors and officers which made that navy unbeatable.
Broadly speaking, it boiled down to an insouciant carelessness of life and limb, a total disregard for danger and almost universal absence of fear. There was an impulsive, devil-may-care attitude among officers and men, yet combined with a fanatical pride in professional skill and ship efficiency. Life was hard, often cruel and even brutally sadistic on occasions but as the author shows, the other side of the picture, the merriment, comradeship, downright abandoned drinking and debauchery, as well as God-fearing respect for principles were just as evident.
... it is a kind of history which is vivid with drama, life and colour. Highly recommended.
Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton in The Naval Review
The task of the Navy... is described clearly - the brushes with the Egyptians, the peace-keeping expeditions, the punitive expeditions, the patrols to put down the slave tade.
I enjoyed his descriptions of life on the messdeck, in the gunroom, in the wardroom and in the cuddy very much. He brings the quality of life alight and he has found a fine collection of sketches and photographs to illustrate the text... I think the best bit is the description of life on the messdecks, of the relationship between seamen and stokers, between executive officers and engineers and, of course, the relationship between officers and men...
To sum up, I enjoyed reading this book very much and I can unhesitatingly recommend it.
The Diplomatist
Mr Padfield's excellent, well-illustrated book describes the struggle [of the late Victorian/Edwardian Navy] to adapt to the radical changes which affected every aspect of weapons, tactics, education, propulsion, training and social attitudes. The old Navy, the Imperial police force, did not die without a struggle, as the author is at pains, sometimes amusingly, to point out.
N.A.M. Rodger in The Mariner's Mirror
With rare exceptions, his touch is sure and his prose felicitous, especially in the concluding chapters on the Edwardian Navy, which is an excellent brief sketch of a complicated and controversal era... A delightful book... greatly to be recommended.
The Sunday Telegraph
This highly informative and lavishly illustrated volume by a naval historian who is also an experienced sailor describes the Navy's many tasks and explores the lives and attitudes of the officers and men of a uniquely powerful force.