If you are looking for a cracking summer read, this Old Viking’s new book is well worth a look!

We are thrilled to announce that acclaimed author and Shiplake Old Viking Will Iredale is releasing his highly anticipated third book on 6 August 2026. Titled Churchill’s Pirates: The Seafaring Heroes Who Helped Win WWII, this stirring, heroic narrative uncovers the gripping story of the fishermen, volunteers, and brave service members who fought the Nazis to keep Britain safe in her darkest hour.

About Churchill's Pirates

Just after midnight on Saturday, 2 September 1939, a German U-boat quietly slipped into the North Sea, marking the start of a ruthless onslaught of submarines and aircraft that turned Britain’s peaceful shipping lanes into mine-studded waters. As innocent vessels began capsizing off the coast, the nation issued an urgent call for defence.

What answered was a crew of ordinary men and women who formed a true "navy within a navy" - the Royal Naval Patrol Service.

Eventually growing into a formidable force of 70,000 personnel and 6,000 vessels, these brave souls took to converted fishing trawlers, pleasure yachts, and small craft. They cleared sea mines, escorted merchant convoys across frozen northern waters, hunted enemy U-boats off the American coast, ran secret missions in the Mediterranean, and pulled off heroic rescues on the beaches of Dunkirk.

Drawing on fascinating first-hand accounts with surviving veterans, exclusive interviews, original papers, and newly uncovered archive material, Will brings readers directly onto the salt-sprayed decks of these small, brave ships. The narrative sweeps from the beaches where boffins raced to disarm enemy mines to the clandestine war rooms where Winston Churchill coordinated strategic moves to turn the tide of the war.

For fans of James Holland, Max Hastings, and Damien Lewis, Churchill's Pirates is already garnering high praise from world-class historians:

"SUPERB"  James Holland

"EXCITING AND IMPORTANT" Dan Snow

"REVELATORY AND THRILLING"  Saul David

"THIS IS HISTORY AT FULL THROTTLE"  Guy Walters

About the Author

After his time at Shiplake, Will joined The Sunday Times in 1999, working on the foreign news desk before moving to the home news desk as a staff reporter specialising in general news and undercover investigations. He is currently a media consultant living in Kent with his family, but his passion for history has made him a household name among non-fiction readers.

Will’s debut book, The Kamikaze Hunters (2015), detailed the Royal Navy’s war in the Pacific in 1945 and quickly became a Sunday Times top-ten bestseller. He backed this up with his second blockbuster hit in July 2021, a compelling account of the men and women of Bomber Command’s Pathfinders, which likewise soared into the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list. Now, Will returns with another forgotten chapter of British bravery.

Get Your Copy

Don't miss out on what promises to be one of the stand-out history releases of the year. You can pre-order or purchase your copy today via Amazon - Churchill’s Pirates: The Seafaring Heroes Who Helped Win WWII

Congratulations to Will on another monumental achievement, the Shiplake Community could not be prouder!