GUNPOWDER AND GLORY

Frank Brock had an extraordinary war by any standards. Scion of eight generations of Brock pyrotechnists, the thirty year old had already made a name for himself in naval circles having directed a colossal firework display at the 1905 ‘Entente Cordiale’ Spithead Review. During World War I, with his customary indefatigable energy, he managed to hold successive commissions in all three services, filling his time as a spy, an inventor and finally taking part in the fighting in a manner which went way beyond recklessness. His remarkable story, told by grandson Harry Smee and journalist Henry Macrory, featured in two episodes in the September/October and November/December editions of Warship World. These extracts concentrated on Frank’s participation in the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918, piecing together the sometimes conflicting details of the events which led to his death. The book itself provides a history of our enduring fascination with pyrotechnics and particularly of the enjoyment provided by successive generations of the Brock family who brought entertainment to the masses in the shape of increasingly elaborate and technically inventive firework displays starting way back in the second half of the eighteenth century. But it is Frank Brock’s genius for invention during World War I which is rightfully the focus of Gunpowder & Glory. His ability to find scientific solutions to problems was recognised and wholeheartedly backed by the likes of Admirals Jacky Fisher, Roger Keyes and others. How was Britain to counter the menace of the German Zeppelin and its increasingly demoralising bombing raids? Brock persuaded the authorities to allow him to cross the Channel in 1914 and spy on the Friedrichshafen airship works shortly before war was declared. He later invented an explosive bullet which was at least partly responsible for the increasing numbers of successes against the Zeppelin ‘bombers’. Other inventions followed including the so-called ‘Dover Flares’ which proved a successful counter to the passage of U-Boats through the Channel in 1917-18 when the number of sinkings brought Britain alarmingly close to capitulation. However, it was the audacious Zeebrugge Raid which proved to be Brock’s most valuable contribution to the war effort. How could the blockships with their associated armada get close enough to the canal leading to Bruges and its important U-Boat base before being decimated by the German guns? Brock’s smokescreen proved to be a brilliant and effective solution. The course of the night action on the Belgian coast is the climax of this book, particularly Brock’s incredible personal bravery on the Zeebrugge mole. Naval enthusiasts familiar with this controversial action will not learn anything particularly new at this point because, as a biography, it understandably focuses on the part played by this extraordinary individual. Ultimately, there is a great sense of loss that this man, who had so much to give both to his devoted family and to his country, should sacrifice his life needlessly. Admiral Keyes, in trying to dissuade him from taking part in the raid, had told Brock beforehand that his genius for inventions was just too valuable. Unfortunately, it was not in the nature of this unique individual to listen.