This 144-page hard cover book, titled Camera at Sea, is firstly a history of the Royal Navy Photographic Branch, doubling as an excellent coffee table book.

Profusely illustrated, it is divided into two sections; the first half covers every aspect of the branch's 80-year history, with 112 photographs supporting the 14-chapter text.

There is even a chapter titled 'Rabbits' with special mention made of a former photographer who served in the 1950's known as 'Myxomatosis' because of his talent for always f------ up rabbits!

RN Photographers have served in all theatres of war at sea. One photographer, LSPH Hutchinson, survived the sinking of two aircraft carriers, HMS COURAGEOUS in 1939 and HMS ARK ROYAL in 1942. His 'interesting' survival kit comprised a condom with his paper money inserted and a HP Sauce bottle full of Navy Rum.

The conditions in which photographers have had to work are acknowledged, from the tropics to Arctic Convoys. One example was working in a cramped section aboard the battleship HMS KING GEORGE V on the main deck as she fired her 14-inch guns during practice firings prior to the D-Day landings with the colossal associated vibration and shock.

Naturally there are some fine wartime photos included, one memorable picture taken being on the listing deck of the aircraft carrier HMS HERMES by wounded photographer SBLT Charles Morgan as she was about to roll-over and sink after a devastating Japanese air attack off Ceylon in 1942. Two other shipboard photographers were lost in the sinking.

Quality action photographs are not restricted to wartime, and an alert photographer recorded a 1949 incident of a Westland Dragonfly helicopter plummeting seawards after severing its tail rotor, having lifted from the flight deck while still attached to the towing and manoeuvring arm, killing the pilot.

Titled 'Colour Portfolio 1985-1998', the second half contain 128 superb colour (plus five black & white) photographs shot by RN photographers around the world.

The need for photographic tasking within the Royal Navy had been identified with the requirements of the Grand Fleet late in the First World War. Civilian press photographers were employed under the control of the Public Information Officer to the Admiralty, who also censored every photo that was released to the media.

On the cessation of hostilities the Admiralty decided to continue the photographic method of gunnery assessment seeing the formal formation of the Branch in 1919. By 1935 there were about 50 ratings in the Branch and ships were beginning to be designed with specially prepared photographic facilities; the net layers HMS GUARDIAN and HMS PROTECTOR were the first to ships to include darkroom compartments.

The trials and tribulations the Royal Navy Photographic Branch are clearly no different to those experienced by their RAN counterparts. Author Neil Mercer, a former CPOPH who left the Royal Navy 1997 to read law at university, is to be commended for his love and fierce passion to record and preserve the Branch's negative collection. A most entertaining and interesting read.

'CAMERA AT SEA' (The History of the Royal Naval Photographic Branch 1919-1998) is by Neil Mercer. Published by Airlife Publishing Ltd, Shrewbury, England. Distributed in Australia by Peribo Pty Ltd, 58 Beaumont Road, Mount Kuring-Gai, NSW 2080. RRP $87.95.

Book review by Vic Jeffery