BARNT Green author and naval historian Steve Dunn is on a mission to make sure memories from World War One remain in the forefront of people's minds.

The author fears there's a real danger that events will start to diminish in the public consciousness now that the centenary has passed.

He believes people will need to work even harder to make sure the public doesn't forget the part played, especially by the Royal Navy during hostilities.

As a result, Steve plans to continue writing about those who lost their lives at sea during World War One

He said: "It would be criminal to forget the sacrifice and the role of the Royal Navy.

"People just tend to only think about the Western Front, but the Royal Navy had to keep control of the seas.

"They deprived Germany of vital food and materials which had a big effect on German morale and made them wonder what they were fighting for."

Steve's latest book, entitled Southern Thunder, tells the little known and often ignored story about the dangerous and sometimes questionable game played by the Scandinavian countries in World War One.

Although they claimed neutrality, they often pitched the two sides against each other to protect their own import and export trade.

Germany relied on Sweden, Norway and Denmark for their food and raw materials, so for Britain and her allies, a key priority was to restrict the flow of these goods. It was a task which fell to the Royal Navy.

Steve adds: "This may not have captured the imagination of the public, who wanted a major sea battle like Trafalgar.

"But keeping the seas safe for British and Allied trade while blocking them off from Germany and her partners was critical to winning the war."

Steve, a former businessman,who lives in Fiery Hill Drive, has been writing for the past 10 years.

He added: "Although I didn't serve, I became very interested in naval history to the point where it's now become a full time job".

Like many of Steve's previous books, Southern Thunder has already been short-listed for the prestigious Mountbatten Maritime Award.

But busy Steve won't be resting on his laurels.

He has another book coming out next year and has already been commissioned for a ninth book in 2021.