Churchill's Secret Commander - by Laurence de Mello & Jill Goulding (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Churchill's Secret Commander uncovers the untold story of the Special Boat Unit (SBU), the British clandestine force that served as the umbrella organisation for multiple amphibious and combined operations units during World War II. For decades, the existence of the SBU has been entirely unknown, its role and its Commander, buried in classified documents and overlooked by historians. Through newly discovered records from Commander Goulding's attaché case-- containing Top Secret and Most Secret Naval and SIS files-- this book presents the findings of a rigorous investigation rather than a traditional biography. Goulding was also a leading participant in the disastrous 1942 Dieppe Raid, an operation that remains one of the most controversial of WWII. Goulding' s, long-hidden official testimony about the raid, which he secretly preserved, is revealed here for the first time. This gripping account not only challenges established narratives of wartime special operations but also provides an unprecedented look at the hidden mechanisms behind Churchill's covert war. A must-read for those fascinated by military history, espionage, and the secret world of special forces.

About the Author

Laurence de Mello is a British investigative journalist, researcher, and factual film producer. The daughter of Royal Naval Intelligence parents, she was educated at British overseas military schools in Malaya and Singapore. For the past 20 years, she has conducted extensive on-the-ground research in South America, investigating the final years of WWII and the role of British intelligence in the Odessa network and German ratlines out of Europe. De Mello's investigations have covered Russian uranium trafficking, the 1997 Paris crash that killed Princess Diana and the suspicious death of British Jill Goulding is the granddaughter of Commander Goulding, the subject of this book. She is a businesswoman and was responsible for the finding of the Goulding documents in 2010, Since then she has become a skilled researcher. She is an avid yachtswoman and lives on Hayling Island, England