To the End of the Days of Sail: The Mariners of Shetland

Laughton Johnston's grandfather, like so many Shetland seamen of the 19th century, moved to Leith where his father's generation was brought up. The Shetland family and seafaring connections, however, proved strong and a trip 'home' to the islands became an almost annual summer event of Laughton's childhood. He and his eldest brother then followed their grandfather to sea. Laughton only for a few adventurous and enjoyable years. Eventually, he moved back to Shetland permanently, which led him to seek his Shetland roots.

Exploring his grandfather's career then led the author to research the wider story of 19th century Shetland seamen. What began as a casual recording of those, who like his grandfather, took officer tickets between 1850 and the 1920s, became over a period of a decade, a spreadsheet of the careers of over 2000 men.

However, Laughton's interest in that extraordinary period, when thousands of Shetland men went to sea, was not only in the facts and figures but in their untold stories, making this book a blend of both.