Ernle Bradford was born in Norfolk on 11 January 1922, and was educated at Uppingham School. He joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer at eighteen and served with distinction for the duration of the war, emerging as a first lieutenant. He began writing at sixteen, and is the author of many books. He was a broadcaster for the BBC and a magazine editor, and his hobbies included sailing, fishing, reading classical history and poetry, and collecting antiques. Works by Ernle Bradford include: The Story of the Mary Rose The Mighty Hood Ulysses Found The Mediterranean: Portrait of a Sea The Shield and the Sword: The Knights of St. John The Sword and the Scimitar: The Saga of the Crusades Biographies: Southward the Caravels: The Story of Henry the Navigator Drake The Sultan's Admiral: The Life of Barbarossa Nelson
