Me, Admiral Benbow and the Astronomer Royal’s Dad

Date Posted: 07/03/2011

It just so happens that I know that Professor Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal and President of the Royal Society, is currently reading my book on Benbow. And here’s the interesting bit: his father wrote an unpublished manuscript on Benbow, parts of which I have now seen.

His father, Reg Rees, was born in 1913, went to Oswestry School and then got a degree in English at Cambridge. After spells as a school teacher and college lecturer, in 1948 he founded an independent boarding school near Ludlow in Shropshire (which expanded and still flourishes (Bedstone College)). He had wide intellectual interests (and a great love of sailing and painting). He left the school in 1966 and thereafter did part-time lecturing and followed up various interests including a deep fascination for that most elusive of men, Admiral John Benbow.

I will let you all know about the manuscript shortly and if you are lucky I will drop in some facts about Cosmology and Black Holes – you see it seemed fair that if Professor Rees is reading my latest book then I should read his.

So you come here looking for naval history and you go away knowing something new about astrophysics. That’s the way I roll.