A Wilful Murder: The Sinking of The Lusitania by Diana Preston (PDF)

Description

An investigation of that other great liner tragedy: the sinking of the Lusitania.On May 7th, 1915, a passenger ship crossing the Atlantic sank with the loss of 1200 lives. On board were some world-famous figures, including multimillionaire Alfred Vanderbilt. But this wasn’t the Titanic and there was no iceberg. The liner was the Lusitania and it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.Using first-hand accounts of the tragedy, the author brings characters to life, recreating the splendour of the liner as it set sail, and the horror of its final moments. Using British, American and German research material, the book answers many of the outstanding and controversial questions surrounding the Lusitania: why didn’t Cunard listen to warnings that the ship would be a target of the Germans? Was the Lusitania sacrificed to bring the Americans into the War? What was really in the Lusitania’s hold? Had Cunard’s offices been infiltrated by German agents? And did the Kaiser’s decision, in response to international outrage, to cease unrestricted U-boat warfare, effectively change the outcome of the First World War?

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: About the Author Diana Preston is an Oxford-trained historian, writer and broadcaster who lives in London. She is the author of, among other works, The Road to Culloden Moor: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the ’45 Rebellion; A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Have read other books on subject this book well researched and written. It will be a excellent addition to my collection on the subject!!

⭐I purchased this book from ThriftBooks-Reno and it was in great shape. I have read about 25% of the book amd it is excellent. I highly recommend this book and purchasing used books from Thriftbooks-Reno!

⭐Bogs down a little too much with names of passengers which all blend together and become hard to keep track of, but overall a pretty interesting read. I would have liked a little more input on Captain Turner and some of his seemingly strange decisions near the coast

⭐Really a good and interesting publication. Brings back memories when people talked before they fired their weapons and our part in WWI, we were not innocent.

⭐As a leading reporter from the Sunday Times said about this work; “It is not easy, nowadays, to write an original book on the First World War… but Preston has succeeded.” My own view is equally as supportive in that I recognise a thorough and competent job of research when I see it and this book is at least that!As I have said on several previous occasions, not all so-called authors understand the complexities of research. Such an undertaking is not just a matter of reading (perhaps translating) and understanding whatever information comes to hand and then producing an accurate and unbiased account, it is also a matter of finding that information – which might be located anywhere in the world and in any format. In the case of the Lusitania, four countries were directly involved; UK, USA, Germany and, of course, Ireland where she was sunk. Personal theories, expert analysis’, political intrigue, survivors accounts, photographs, cemeteries, newspaper articles and official findings (to mention but a small number of areas of interest) are, therefore, spread far and wide. Add to that the passage of time (with little or none of the information being readily available on the Internet), and you might just begin to appreciate the amount of work which has gone into making this book an absolute triumph of dedicated research.With almost 600 pages ofn text plus extensive index and bibliography supported by a good selection of black and white photos, cartoons of the day and press cuttings, this is probably the most comprehensive account of the loss of the Lusitania there will ever be. First published in 2002, Preston draws on hitherto previously unpublished British, USA and German archive material in a successful bid to answer so many questions which refused to go away after the loss of this magnificent ship on 7 May 1915 with over 1,200 of those who were on board at the time.Why did Cunard ignore those German advertisements which warned that they regarded the ship as a legitimate target of war? Had Cunard been infiltrated by German agents? Was the ship carrying military, warlike stores? Was the ship armed? Was it the loss of the ship which heralded America’s entry into WW1 or overwhelming public outrage? Conversely, was the Lusitania deliberately sacrificed in order to get the USA into that war to support the Allies at a critical time?Those are just a few of the questions which have been asked over the years and I earnestly believe that this book is the one single work which will help every reader arrive at their own conclusions.On top of that, Diana Preston is an author who has the gift of arranging words in such a way as to make the entire product a thoroughly enjoyable read and there is no better commendation for any book than that.NM

⭐This is a beautifully written and researched book on one of the most dramatic moments in the civilian history of World War One. The preceding political atmosphere, the event itself and the aftermath are dealt with in a highly readable way. Congratulations to the author for providing the definitive version of the Lusitania story.

⭐Although I’ve already sent Amazon an e-mail about this, they still have a pirate book showing instead of “Wilful Murder” and it’s the pirate book download you’ll get. The Amazon bookstore is very good, but the Kindle bookstore is terrible with incredibly bad searches. Can’t they clean this site up?

⭐There are many books on the Lusitania sinking some are great, some less so. I think it would be difficult for any to match the magisterial nature of Diana Preston’s plus. This is not merely a history of the sailing, it incorporates a brief history of Cunard, transatlantic sailings, world diplomacy & the development of submarines. This certainly gives you the full picture.The writing style is good and easy going but informative. We are introduced to many of the characters aboard the doomed vessel as well as those ashore who would play vital roles in the ensuing drama. One of the best things I can say about the writing is that you genuinely become invested in these people and the part where she describes the attack and it’s aftermath is by far the hardest part to read.The book finishes with an on depth analysis of where the blame lay. The title “Wilful Murder” is used as the standpoint but what follows is no polemic it a reasoned and technical analysis with blame laid as and where it needs to be.All in all this is a big book but an excellent guide to one of the most controversial incidents of World War 1

⭐There are several books that examine in part or whole various aspects of the loss of the Lusitania which, unlike that of the Titanic about 3 years earlier, occurred in wartime when it was torpedoed by a German submarine with a remarkably similar loss of lives. Unlike the Titanic, which sank mid-Atlantic in deep waters close to the Arctic Circle, the Lusitania sank a few miles of the Southern Irish coast and in shallow water. Britain and the USA long complained about Germany’s action as the given justifications for the sinking were largely proven to be unfounded. Only one was proven to be substantially true, and that related to large quantities of small calibre munitions and partially manufactured shells and fuses that formed part of the cargo.Much of the book concentrates upon the vessel’s final voyage, those on-board including its crew and officers, its famous passengers and those not so famous, whether or not they survived the incident and their respective backgrounds and experiences during their few days on-board. The absence of a significant proportion of its peacetime crew to military service and their less experienced replacements may have further endangered the lives of many. The rescue attempts to recover survivors and their landing in Ireland and the later events in some of those people’s lives form an important element and are also explored in great detail. The consequential enquiries into the sinking, political wranglings in Britain, Germany and the US regarding the arguments for and against the attack and the not unrelated later entry into WW1 of US forces are also covered in depth. There is even a discussion of the possible causes of the still-unexplained second explosion and the science of explosives and explosive mixtures and the physics of ship construction as they are (or may be) of relevance and importance.The book also includes, for reasons of completeness, the several ineffectual attempts to raise the vessel, dives to investigate the wreck in the years between WWI and WWII including the relatively more recent series conducted by Robert Ballard, previously credited with locating and diving upon the wrecks of the Titanic and the WWII German battleship, Bismark. The coverage of the subject is very thorough and rounded covering aspects that others may have ignored or failed to consider, without undue favour to any of the three countries most involved.A comprehensive List of Sources and a large Bibliography are added for further research, as is a comprehensive Index. Probably the best book overall on the subject.

⭐Before I read this book I knew very little about the sinking of the Lusitania. However, this excellent book certainly answers any questions I may have had. I knew the basic facts that on May 7th 1915 the Lusitania was torpedoed by a German u-boat in the Atlantic and over 1,200 people died. I was, though, unsure of why a passenger ship was a target. The author answers that question and more – why didn’t Cunard heed the warnings that the ship was a target? Was the ship armed? Did international outrage change the outcome of WWI? Was she even sacrificed with the hope that American would come into the war?The author begins with background on the war and American neutrality. German submarines disrupted transatlantic trade and challenged the accepted rules of war. The Germans issued a warning about the danger to shipping just before the Lusitania travelled, but most passengers ignored the warning, feeling the ship could easily outrun submarines and would be protected when she neared England and escorted to safety. There are excellent chapters about the passengers and life on board and, of course, as we are told about the various people on board, you cannot help but feel empathy for them. It seems almost inconceivable that a ship of passengers was seen as a viable target, but this was the beginning of war coming to the lives of ordinary people. Within eighteen minutes of being torpedoed, the ship had gone down. We follow the stories of chaos, of people unsure what to do, of the ship listing so badly lifeboats could not be lowered, of the horrible loss of life. Some passengers thought the efforts to launch the boats disgraceful, yet there are also stories of immense bravery and courage.The stories of the survivors and the reaction of the press are also given great detail and make fascinating reading. The German press applauded the attack, but were surprised at the worlds reaction. The book shows the far reaching political and propaganda implications of the sinking of the Lusitania and how the Americans reacted to the attack. Overall, this is a wonderfully written, in-depth, yet readable, account of the disaster. Lastly, I read the kindle edition of this book and it included illustrations.

⭐”Wilful Murder” tells the story of the sinking of the SS Lusitania by a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland on 7 May 1915. Almost 1200 people lost their lives, including 38 Americans. This fine book discusses the many questions raised by the sinking. Why was the Lusitania not steaming at full speed? Why wasn’t it escorted by the Royal Navy? Why did it sail round the south coast of Ireland when U-boats had been reported in the area? Was it carrying arms or Canadian soldiers? Did the sinking bring the United States into the War? The official inquiry into the sinking concluded that its cause was wilful murder by the Germans, but the Captain of the Lusitania was felt by some to share at least part of the blame. Conspiracy theories abound! On the whole, Diana Preston presents the facts and leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions – fascinating stuff!. Highly recommended.

⭐Bought this book as family member named found out another family member s name who was also on lusitania. Very well written history book. Good insight of terrible disaster Would definitely recommend.

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