Douglas Edward Reeman, a contemporary British writer, joined the British Navy at 16, serving on destroyers and small craft during World War II and eventually rising to lieutenant. He has served as vice-president of the Missions To Seamen and as a script adviser for television and films. Under the pseudonym, Alexander Kent, Reeman is the author of the best-selling 25-volume series of Richard Bolitho Novels. His books have been translated into nearly two dozen languages.