
Memories, by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Royal Navy Memoir of Dreadnought Reform, Imperial Sea Power, and Edwardian CommandBy John Arbuthnot Fisher Baron FisherLength9h 18m
About this audiobook
Memories, by Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher is less a conventional autobiography than a forceful act of naval self-interpretation. Through reminiscence, anecdote, letters, and combative reflection, Fisher recounts a career inseparable from the modernization of British sea power. Its style is brisk, aphoristic, and unmistakably Edwardian: personal, polemical, and saturated with the strategic anxieties of an empire dependent upon maritime command. John Arbuthnot Fisher, later Baron Fisher, entered the Royal Navy as a boy and rose to become First Sea Lord, the driving figure behind reforms in gunnery, training, fleet organization, and the revolutionary HMS Dreadnought. His long service, imperial experience, and fierce controversies with naval conservatives shaped this book's urgency. Written after immense public conflict and wartime disappointment, it often reads as both testimony and vindication. This volume is recommended to readers interested in naval history, imperial Britain, military reform, and the psychology of command. Scholars will value its insight into institutional change; general readers will find in Fisher a vivid, difficult, brilliant personality whose memories illuminate the making of the modern Royal Navy.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreBiography and Memoir
Length9 hrs 18 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 6, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5PREFACE
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER I KING EDWARD VII
7Postscript.
8Lord Esher to Lord Fisher
9Letter from Lord Redesdale
10Extract from a Letter from Sir John Fisher to King Edward
11Germany has been paralysed by the “Dreadnought.”
12Nelson’s Copenhagen
13Queen Alexandra , Lord Knollys , and Sir Dighton Probyn .
14CHAPTER II “THE MOON SWAYS OCEANS AND PROVOKES THE HOUND.”
15CHAPTER III ADMIRAL VON POHL AND ADMIRAL VON TIRPITZ
16From Lord Fisher to a Friend
17Lord Fisher to a Privy Councillor
18From a Privy Councillor to Lord Fisher
19CHAPTER IV ECONOMY IS VICTORY
20CHAPTER V THE DARDANELLES
21Lord Fisher to Colonel Sir Maurice Hankey
22Lord Fisher to the Right Hon. Winston Churchill.
233rd Meeting of the War Council, November 25th, 1914.
244th Meeting of War Council, December 1st, 1914.
257th Meeting of War Council, January 8th, 1915.
268th Meeting of War Council, January 13th, 1915.
279th Meeting of War Council, January 28th, 1915, 11.30 a.m.
28The Dardanelles.
2910th Meeting of War Council (same day) , January 28th, 1915, at 6.30 p.m.
3011th Meeting of War Council, February 9th, 1915.
3112th Meeting of War Council, February 16th, 1915.
3213th Meeting of War Council, February 19th, 1915.
3314th Meeting of War Council, February 24th, 1915.
3415th Meeting of War Council, February 26th, 1915.
3516th Meeting of War Council, March 3rd, 1915.
3617th Meeting of War Council, March 10th, 1915.
3718th Meeting of War Council, March 19th, 1915.
3819th Meeting of War Council, May 14th, 1915.
39An Episode of the War.
40Statement of new Shipbuilding Inaugurated by Lord Fisher.
41Tuesday, November 3rd, 1914.
42Building Programme.
43CHAPTER VI ABDUL HAMID AND THE POPE
44CHAPTER VII A JEU D’ESPRIT BOWS AND ARROWS—SNAILS AND TORTOISES—FACILE DUPES AND SERVILE COPYISTS
45CHAPTER VIII NAVAL WAR STAFF AND ADMIRALTY CLERKS
46CHAPTER IX RECAPITULATION OF DEEDS AND IDEAS
47“Seekest Thou Great Things for Thyself? Seek them not!” (The Prophet Jeremiah.)
48Aircraft.
49The Submarine Mine
50CHAPTER X APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA