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Dangerous Waters: The Life and Death of Erskine Childers

by Leonard Piper

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1721,237,506 (3.17)1
In The Riddle of the Sands, a gripping spy story set amongst the shoals and mists of the North Sea coast in the years before the First World War, Erskine Childers fathered the modern genre of spy adventures, as well as writing a great yachting classic. Unlike John Buchan or John le CarrĂ©, however, Childers himself led a life involving spying, gun-running and conspiracy, and a constant search for adventure and danger, which led in the end to his execution by firing squad in Ireland in 1923. The Tragedy of Erskine Childers tells the extraordinary story of a brilliant and highly talented eccentric. A pioneering yachtsman in the early days of small yacht sailing, Childers became such a fervent supporter of Irish nationalism that he ran guns to Ireland on his boat. In the Irish Civil War his extremism, and wish to take part in active service rather than write propaganda, led to his betrayal, trial and execution.… (more)
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A modern biography of Robert Erskine Childers.
It is the only one I have found that makes an honest stab at recording his wartime experiences in the RNAS, devoting three out of 13 chapters to his work during the First World War.
For this alone it is worth reading.
The rest of the book is a straight forward account of his life and death before a an Irish Government firing squad during the 1922 civil war. The author has no particular axe to grind and presents a balanced reading of a complex life.
The only problem I find with the book is the choice of titles. The publishers offers three variations: On the cover and spine 'The Tragedy of Erskine Childers'; on the fep 'Dangerous Waters'; on the title page 'Dangerous Waters - The Life and Death of Erskine Childers'! ( )
  JenIanB | Jan 8, 2015 |
I picked this up secondhand shortly after I'd read and enjoyed the Riddle of the Sands. The biography is interesting, if not absolutely gripping, but what held my attention was the fact that the period covered is interesting in itself. Erskine Childers' lifetime spans the first World War and an eventful period of the conflict in Ireland, and he is heavily involved in both. On balance, an interesting read, but not one I'll be returning to in future. ( )
  cazfrancis | Feb 24, 2011 |
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In The Riddle of the Sands, a gripping spy story set amongst the shoals and mists of the North Sea coast in the years before the First World War, Erskine Childers fathered the modern genre of spy adventures, as well as writing a great yachting classic. Unlike John Buchan or John le Carré, however, Childers himself led a life involving spying, gun-running and conspiracy, and a constant search for adventure and danger, which led in the end to his execution by firing squad in Ireland in 1923. The Tragedy of Erskine Childers tells the extraordinary story of a brilliant and highly talented eccentric. A pioneering yachtsman in the early days of small yacht sailing, Childers became such a fervent supporter of Irish nationalism that he ran guns to Ireland on his boat. In the Irish Civil War his extremism, and wish to take part in active service rather than write propaganda, led to his betrayal, trial and execution.

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