ENVIRONMENTALIST and marine expert Chris Marrow, originally from Crowcombe, has published a second volume of his autobiography, The Cornish Viking.

In his first volume, From Rat Race to Tide Race, Chris covers his family’s journey to the Orkney and Shetland Islands, where he pioneered new ferry services. 

The book was greatly received on Amazon, where the second volume is now available for purchasing.

Chris was born in Crowcombe, in the shadow of the Quantock Hills, after his mother had to leave Plymouth because the family house there was bombed during World War Two and she went to stay with an aunt who lived in Slough Cottage in the village.

He said: "My grandparents then bought a house in Williton and my first memories are from there. Dad was still overseas in the Army."

The second volume of his life story is titled The Cornish Viking in Africa and has a completely different flavour from the first tome.

The story follows Chris and his family as they travel to Africa, entering a new world of famine, poverty, and gunfire. 

Chris who now lives in Wellington, covers his experience operating landing crafts in Mozambique for those fleeing the civil war and spans until the conflict’s conclusion, which sees him opening routes to get the country back on track. 

The eccentric characters, humour, and light-hearted feel found in the first book is replaced by heart-breaking images of starvation, desperation, and orphaned street children, who remain cheerful despite their war-torn surroundings. 

Despite the change in tone, the hard-working individuals and community spirit that drives this second volume maintains a heart-warming feel throughout.

Chris is now writing volume three, which aims to cover the civil war in Sierra Leone, the Rwandan genocide, remote life in Nicaragua, fleet ships on Lake Malawi, the David Livingstone route between Malawi and the Indian Ocean, and his knighthood by Queen Diambi Kabatusuila of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Chris’ second volume will be available soon in Wellington shops the Nook and Cranny, and Bookshop by the Blackdowns.