First Fleet (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781466393905)

M Howard Morgan is a nom de plume of Malcolm Mendey. Born in Carmarthen, the son of a Brylcreem Boy father and a wonderful German au pair - they WERE married- he has travelled extensively throughout Europe, the Far East, Oceania and N. America. Following an initial career in civil law he moved into loss adjusting, acting for underwriters at Lloyd's of London and multi-national insurers. An interest in genealogy resulted in the discovery of an ancestor who was a marine with the First Fleet of Australia in 1788. Always a student of history, that triggered an ever more consuming investigation into the history of the Golden Age of Sail and tangentially, the conflicts with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. First Fleet is a debut novel with a sequel now in progress set in 1794 and the first major naval engagement between the two, known in Britain as The Glorious First of June. A qualified boatmaster, a failed golfer, enthusiast of aviation, consumer of fine wines, beers and spirits he has no interest in celery. Howard Morgan lives in the beautiful Cotswolds with his beautiful wife, approximately two of four children and two fabulous Border Collies.