Publisher's Synopsis
One man can lose the war in an afternoon - but which man is it? May 1916 - World War 1: as the bloodshed and stalemate of the land war continues, over 100 ships of the British Grand Fleet are moored at Scapa Flow. Yet under the command of Admiral John Jellicoe, the most powerful navy the world has ever seen appears to be doing little to help end the war other than swing idly at anchor. Meanwhile, the German High Seas Fleet senses an opportunity to lure Britain's fast but poorly-armoured battle cruisers - under the impetuous Vice-Admiral David Beatty - into a trap. Its aim? To deliver a knock-out blow that will cripple the Royal Navy, and hand ultimate victory to the Kaiser. But as Jellicoe continues the War Cabinet's strategy of blockading Germany by sea and starving her into submission, British politicians, the press and the public alike grow increasingly impatient for an end to the stalemate, and long for a crushing Trafalgar-like victory at sea. In between rest the lives of tens of thousands of British sailors, including 15-year-old Jack Cornwell. Then the fog of war lifts, and the British and German Fleets finally meet for 'Der Tag', The Day. The fate of the sailors - and the war - soon to be decided in the grey wastes and blasting winds off the Danish coast, west of Jutland... ..".squadron by squadron, scores of gigantic Castles of Steel wending their way across the misty, shining sea, like giants bowed in anxious thought." Winston Churchill - 'The World Crisis' 'Castles of Steel', a play for radio by Nick Wray, is a fictionalised account of the Battle of Jutland 1916, and includes dramatic and controversial portrayals of John Jellicoe, David Beatty, Jack Cornwell, Winston Churchill, Lord Kitchener, and John ('Jacky') Fisher. About the Author: Nick has written for the Independent, Screen Digest and Viewfinder, as well as other publications and media. His short play 'Heart of Glass'- based on two Tweets about Google Glass and wearable body sensors - was recently short-listed for production at the Finsbury Theatre in London. His polemic on the digital world, 'The Living Garden', won the ICL-Fujitsu prize for innovation in media, and is being published in the near future. Also available by Nick Wray on Amazon Kindle, 'Heart of Glass' a short play about Google Glass
