Description
Utmost Fish by Hugh Wray McCann is a gripping historical fiction thriller that tells the mind-boggling true story of one of World War I’s most eccentric naval missions — and it features a massive, hidden connection to South Africa.
Set in 1915, this out-of-print classic takes you deep into the African bush for an impossible military operation. The German Empire completely dominated Lake Tanganyika with a fleet of gunboats, cutting off vital Allied routes. The British Royal Navy’s response? To send a handful of misfit officers halfway across the world with two small, armed motorboats — named Mimi and Toutou — to wrestle control back. To get them to the lake, the crew had to haul these massive boats through thousands of miles of uncharted jungle, over mountains, and down wild rivers.
The Incredible South African Connections: What makes this specific copy so special for a local collector is the rich history tied right to our own soil:
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The Expedition Started in Cape Town: In 1915, the two historic gunboats were shipped from England and first unloaded right at the Cape Town docks. From there, they were loaded onto the South African railway system to begin their long journey north.
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The Author Lived in Johannesburg: Long before winning a Pulitzer Prize for journalism in America, the Irish-born author Hugh Wray McCann lived and worked right here in Johannesburg in the late 1940s as a gold mining draftsman.
Why it’s a rare find: This title has never been digitised, released on Kindle, or given a modern reprint. Back in 1966, only a few hundred copies of this UK Heinemann edition were ever imported into South Africa, making surviving copies exceptionally scarce. If you love obscure military history and truth-is-stranger-than-fiction adventures, this is a beautiful vintage gem for your shelf.
