Lucky Me - A Memoir of HMS Bicester in the Second World War

Lucky Me is the memoir of Leonard R. Barton, who served on HMS Bicester throughout the Second World War. HMS Bicester was a Hunt Class Escort Destroyer, which participated in a number of notable actions in the Mediterranean during the war, all of which are detailed in this very well written recollection. 

I found that the details provided really helped to build a picture of the experiences of a Royal Navy sailor in the Med, including the constant attacks from the Luftwaffe and Italian airforce, losses of colleagues during attacks, visits to the ports in North Africa and Gibraltar, and later operations such as the landings in Sicilly and Italy. One extremely important chapter covers in great detail the explosion in Bari harbour in 1943, and the subsequent aftermath that crewmen suffered due to exposure from mustard gas. 

The chapter titles give a good idea of the content, and I would highly recommend a copy of this book to anyone with an interest of firsthand accounts of the naval war in the Med. 

Contents:

• Lucky Me
• HMS Pembroke, Chatham
• After Pedestal
• Operation Torch
• Back in the Med
• Back Home
• Bari - The Second Pearl Harbour
• The Unseen Enemy
• After Bari
• At Bombay

Available from:
Unfortunately I cannot find the publisher details online, so I assume the book is now out of print. Copies may be available on Amazon.