Arctic Rescue

A Memoir of the Tragic Sinking of HMS Glorious

By: Ronald Healiss

Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell

On the 8th June 1940, the Nazi battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau opened their guns on the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious.

Within minutes, the Glorious was taking on water, and the order was given to abandon ship.

Hundreds of men leapt into the icy waters of the Norwegian Sea. They hoped and prayed that nearby ships would have heard their distress signal and send help.

Yet, they did not come. Men were left to tread water, hold onto small inflatables, or clamber onto overcrowded lifeboats. The situation looked bleak for the few who survived the first 24 hours; there was nothing to eat, and men resorted to drinking saltwater and their own urine to slake their thirst, but the effects of hypothermia and delirium began to take their toll.

Over 1,200 men lost their lives as a result of this tragedy.

Only 40 men survived this ordeal, one of which was Royal Marine Ronald "Tubby" Healiss, who served as a member of a 4.7 gun crew on the Glorious. His award-winning account is a true and terrible record of suffering, which uncovers one of the greatest undocumented naval stories of the Second World War.

©1955 The Estate of Ronald Healiss (P)2021 Tantor

Arctic Rescue - a Great Listen

I normally hate what I consider the overuse of adjectives and adverbs, but Ronald Healiss uses the right amount to help you feel as though you are right there with him - seeing the horrors of war and feeling the bitter cold and fear of death. I loved Chris MacDonnell’s voice and narration. It was as though he was telling you a story instead of reading a book to you. If you like interesting, heartwarming war stories, you will find this one more than meets your listening desires.