Fittest of the Fit: Health and Morale in the Royal Navy, 1939–1945

This WWII naval history examines the Royal Navy’s health and fitness policies, initiatives and innovations.

‘Fittest of the fit’ was the Royal Navy’s boast about its personnel, a claim based on a strict recruitment process. This book examines the reality behind the motto through the difficult years of the Second World War. Beginning with the medical aspects of recruitment, historian Kevin Brown examines how health and fitness were maintained at sea, including in the onerous extremes of Arctic and Tropical conditions.

Beyond physical health, Brown also examines the importance of psychological factors and the maintenance of morale, covering everything from entertainment to tolerance of onboard pets. Inevitably, the effects of battle, injury and stress dominated naval medicine, and wartime led to rapid changes in everything from basic preparations to protective clothing.

With revealing comparisons to other British services as well as US Navy practices, Fittest of the Fit offers a unique look at life for the Royal Navy, covering submariners and airmen as well as those in the surface fleet.

© 2019 Seaforth Publishing (Ebook): 9781526734280

Release date

Ebook: 30 April 2019