From sea to shore around the world
From Oceans to Embassies, by Gillian Angrave
Gillian (Gill) Angrave's autobiography charts close to 40 years, starting out as a PA in an engineering company in Leicester before embarking on seven years with P&O as an assistant purser on its cruiseships Canberra and Oriana. She travelled the world, met friends she still holds dear today, and thoroughly enjoyed the onboard entertainment – especially when she was a part of it.
Not content to stay in one place after such a thrilling start to her career, Angrave spent the next 29 years as an ambassador's PA. Postings took her to the Philippines, Peru, Guatemala, Chile, Mexico and Hungary. Retirement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at 60 clearly wasn’t going to cut the mustard, so Angrave then became Registrar of Marriages in West Sussex.
As you would expect from such a big life, Angrave's memoirs are filled with exciting adventures and fun experiences. Luckily for the reader, she was also a keen amateur photographer and there are many pictures of people and places, including some very famous faces along the way.
At just over 400 pages, From Oceans to Embassies might seem like a long read but each part of her story is broken down chronologically into separate chapters which the reader can whizz through. Or you pop in and out of sections of interest as the whim takes you.
The large font and generous spacing makes for enjoyable reading. Even the youngest and most web-hardened digital native can't fail to fail for its allure. Some might even follow in her footsteps.
From Oceans to Embassies
By Gillian Angrave
Self-published (available in the Nautilus Bookshop)
ISBN 978 19995 83866
Buy this book in the Nautilus Bookshop
While you're there, why not browse the rest of the titles in our unique maritime bookshop, which sells all the books reviewed on these pages.
Buy nowMore Books
Instructions for an adventure
The Pacific Crossing Guide, 4th Edition by Francis HawkingsThe Pacific Crossing Guide was created to be the complete reference book for anyone thinking about sailing the Pacific, whether going east-west or west-east.
Fun family fable
Sea, Sand and Katrina by Sam GrantFormer seafarer Sam Grant – whose seafaring adventure books set in the 1960s have been reviewed in the Telegraph before – returns with a different kind of nautical novel.
Top tips for crafty constructors
Sailing Ships from Plastic Kits, by Kerry JangModel ship supremo Kerry Jang is back in time for Christmas 2024 with another comprehensive work on building miniature maritime masterpieces.
Warm words for a cool invention
Blowing Hot and Cold, by Ian JohnstonRemembering his own father's connection with the company, author Ian Johnston set out to write a history of Thermotank, a near-forgotten pioneer in marine air conditioning. It was no small challenge, but Johnston succeeds in bringing a lost British icon back to life.