Douglas Reeman

Douglas Edward Reeman (15 October 1924 – 23 January 2017), who also used the pseudonym Alexander Kent, was a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars. Reeman died on 23 January 2017 according to a press release from his wife.

Reeman was born in Thames Ditton, Surrey, and joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in 1940, at the age of 16. He served during World War II and the Korean War and eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant. In addition to being an author, Reeman has also taught the art of navigation for yachting and served as a technical advisor for films. He also served in the Metropolitan Police, including as a detective, and worked as a social worker. He married Canadian author Kimberley Jordan in 1985.

Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship, was published in 1958. His pseudonym Alexander Kent was the name of a friend and naval officer who died during the Second World War. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho, and, later, his nephew, Adam. He also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his World War II experiences, D-Day: A Personal Reminiscence (1984). He used the pseudonym Alexander Kent for his Bolitho novels and his real name for his other novels and non-fiction.