From Snotty to Sub

Forester, Wolston B. C. W. (Wolston Beaumont CharlProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 145K words
Chapters: 15

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.From Snotty to Sub by Wolston B. C. W. ForesterAuthor: Forester, Wolston B. C. W. (Wolston Beaumont Charles Weld),Language: English, Class: D501: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: World War I (1914-1918), Release Date: Feb 18, 2015

Editor's review

This book is a firsthand World War I memoir by the British officer Wolston Forrester, chronicling his progression from a young cadet nicknamed "Snotty" (midshipman) to a submarine service officer (Sub). The title itself signals this arc of changing identity: from training and apprenticeship to actually bearing command responsibility, the reader watches an ordinary serviceman being shaped by war. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, its value lies not in literary polish but in the plainness and immediacy of primary-source material—training details, shipboard life, comradeship, and the atmosphere of war are all told in the voice of someone who was there, without after-the-fact embellishment. It suits readers interested in WWI naval history, the early forms of submarine warfare, and narratives of a serviceman's growth as a supplementary source. Because it was written long ago and its language carries period habits, readers with some English foundation are advised to read it slowly, treating it as a primary document whose details convey the temper of the era rather than as a popular military history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in World War I naval history
Those curious about daily life and training in the early submarine service
Readers who prefer firsthand memoirs to secondhand military histories
Readers with some English who are willing to read primary sources slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for popular war fiction or fast-paced narrative
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation
Readers expecting systematic military history and strategic analysis

Reading tips

Read the table of contents and chapter titles first to map the timeline from training to service before reading chapter by chapter.
Look up naval terms or obsolete ranks as needed rather than forcing yourself to skip them.
Read alongside a general history of WWI naval warfare to place the personal experience in a larger context.
Read one or two chapters a day and note details, avoiding a single sittings that dilutes the information.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a real memoir?

It is a memoir-like work based on the author's firsthand experience, telling of his growth from midshipman to submarine officer rather than a work of fiction. The people and events carry a strong sense of period immediacy and suit reading as historical source material.

Can I understand it without a background in WWI history?

You can, but you need basic concepts of WWI naval and submarine forces. It is advisable to learn the rough timeline of WWI and the naval background first, then enter the book; you will more easily understand the author's environment and changes of post.

Why is the book titled From Snotty to Sub?

"Snotty" was the period nickname for a midshipman, and "Sub" refers to a submarine service officer or junior officer. The title sums up the author's transition from trainee to serving officer, which is also the book's main narrative thread.

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About the author

Forester, Wolston B. C. W. (Wolston Beaumont Charl Author

Wolston B. C. W. Forester is an author about whom very little is publicly known; neither his nationality nor his dates of birth and death can be confirmed, and two of his works are held in the collection. Judging from his representative titles, From Dartmouth to the Dardanelles: A Midshipman's Log and From Snotty to Sub, his writing centres on the training and seafaring experiences of British naval midshipmen and has a clear memoir or personal-log character. "Dartmouth" refers to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, while "Snotty" was the traditional British naval term for a midshipman, suggesting that the author was familiar with lower-deck naval life and terminology. His narratives are told from a first-hand perspective and dwell on everyday detail and voyaging experience. Such works offer some reference value for understanding early twentieth-century British naval education and shipboard life, though the author's own biography remains to be further established.