He regularly wrote letters to the British press, in particular The Times and Country Life, on matters of history and sailing. Ī sometime BBC broadcaster and magazine editor, Bradford was also a prolific author and popular historian, many of his books remaining in print to this day. It ends with the sale of his Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter, Mischief, to HW Bill Tilman, who made a number of significant voyages in it to high latitudes. His book, The Journeying Moon describes some of these voyages. Street in Kalkara, Malta, named after BradfordĪ keen yachtsman himself, Bradford spent almost 30 years sailing the Mediterranean, and many of his books are set there. Ernle Bradford, whose bestselling book The Great Siege recounts their historic battle for Malta, follows the Knights of Saint John through centuries of war, politics, rivalry, and perseverance in The Shield and the Sword. Even after losing Malta to Napoleon Bonaparte two centuries later, the Order of Saint John continued its mission.

They survived exile from the Holy Land, settling first in Rhodes and then in Malta, which they famously defended against the Ottoman Empire's epic invasion of 1565. First formed in Jerusalem during the Crusades of the eleventh century, the Order of Saint John grew in wealth and power rivaled only by the Knights Templar. Known by many names through their centuries-long career, The Knights Hospitaller of Saint John dedicated themselves to defending the poor and sick. John, from Jerusalem to Malta, told by the bestselling author of The Great Siege. Īn authoritative history of the Knights of St. They survived exile from the Holy Land, settling first in Rhodes and then in Malta, which.

An authoritative history of the Knights of St.

The shield and the sword ernle bradford