Channel of Invasion

Overview

Part two in the brilliant Tremayne Tresco trilogy – a fictional account of one of Second World War’s best kept secrets (1943 -1944)

A hidden and brutal war of subterfuge, stealth and deception is being waged along the English Channel and the Brittany coast. British Intelligence has cracked the Enigma Code and Allied forces have, for a short time, inflicted heavy losses on the U-boat Wolf-packs preying on shipping in the English Channel – until now.

Plans are also well advanced for the invasion of Normandy. Richard Tremayne the Flotilla Commander of a clandestine Special Force Naval unit operating from the rugged coastline of the Scilly Isles is once more in the thick of it.

Author Mike Williams again delivers a soul-stirring tale of heroism, courage and sacrifice from the ‘small boat men’ and remembers the men and women who remain unsung, but who gave so much in the protection of our coasts and helped liberate France.

This is the second novel to feature Richard Tremayne (described as a modern day Hornblower or Aubrey for the 1940s) in wartime operations set in the Scillies, the English Channel and Northern France.

Reviews

Praises For the Trilogy

‘Mike Williams’ own experience with the Special Forces shines through as he skilfully spins an exciting tale around the true story’

Richard Barber, author of ‘The Last Piece of England’ and Editor of the Tresco Times

‘This is a great story – an important one – and is very well told, as it deserves to be.’

Geoffrey Till, Professor Maritime Studies, King’s College London and Director of the Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies

‘I like to think of him (Tremayne- the main character in the book) as a Richard Sharpe for the Second World War.’

Chris Thomas – Radio Scilly

Radioscillybookshow.blogspot.com

5th November 2009

‘Mike Williams The Secret Channel (…During the Second World War, under great secrecy, an elite force of men and women were gathered on the remote coastline of the Scilly Isles…)… any fan and reader of Douglas Reeman’s exciting books will be won over by Mike William’s first novel. A real page-turner of a story of wartime secret operations based in the Scillies.’

Corinna Christopher

‘The books are well written with a feeling of real authenticity. The author himself served firstly in the Royal Navy as an intelligence Officer, then in the Royal Marines and his knowledge of both services is apparent throughout. The Stories are very exciting in their accounts of naval engagements and land skirmishes, the awful repercussions of the Blitz on England and the great camaraderie that existed in Wartime Britain. There is also a touching love story and the various locations on Scilly are well described and again authentic. I would thoroughly recommend these books to anyone who is interested in Scilly’s recent coast, anyone who enjoys a well told, exciting and believable story. I suppose I would compare them to Alastair MacLeans novels but far more interesting with the Scilly connection.’

Babs Simpson

ONWARD –SHIPS

Newsletter for HMS Fleetwood

‘Not sure what to ask your partner to get you for Christmas??.. Well there is nothing better to receive than a good book and they don’t cost the Earth. The book shown on the right entitled “the Secret Channel” was written by our very own “Coder Special” Mike Williams who was abroad the Fleetwood in 1952/3. This is a great read about the operations of the SBS carried out from the Isles of Scilly. It is a must for anyone who served in the R.N and R.M. It should be pointed out that the Editor of Onward cannot be responsible in any way for members of the Fleetwood Association who sign in as a result of reading this book.’

Keith Rayner – Editor

The author

Michael Williams served eight years both full time and as a reservist, first in the Royal Navy [intelligence] as a Russian-speaking intercept operator, then in the Royal Marines [SBS and Commando], ending as a Second-in Command of a combined SBS and Commando RMR unit. He is married to the children’s author Brenda Williams. They live in Wiltshire and regularly go hill-walking and canoeing in the Isles of Scilly.