Many books have been written about HM Customs & Excise over the years. Some are solely about the Waterguard service and some only have chapters about the Waterguard service. This page suggests some of these books as further reading.

1784 - THE BATTLE of MUDEFORD by Michael Powell

The story of the 'battle' between HMS Orestes, HM Excise Cutter Resolution & HM Customs Cutter Swan and the smuggling luggers Civil Usage & Phoenix in 1784. The smuggling vessels were seized after the battle in which an Officer of HMS Orestes was shot and killed. Over 300 smugglers ran the contraband in land - none of contraband was seized.

A COMPUTER CALLED LEO by Georgina Ferry

A Computer Called LEO recounts the extraordinary story of Simmons's mission: to create a Lyons Electronic Office, the first of its kind in the world. The birth of LEO placed Britain, for a moment, at the forefront of global business technology.

Interwoven with the story of the building of LEO is the story of early computing, from the Difference Engine of Charles Babbage to the code-cracking computers of Bletchley Park and the instantly obsolescent ENIAC, developed in the US. It is also the story of the post-war British computer business: why did it lose the initiative? Why did America succeed when British design was often superior? Georgina Ferry's account of a forgotten triumph in British history is a timely corrective and an exuberant celebration of one of the least likely marriages in business history: the Lyons teashop and the cutting edge of computer science.

It's relevance to HMC&E?  In January 1964, with the aid of a newly acquired LEO III, the processing of export trade statistics went live. Imports were to take another 12 months. In the same period specialised accounting machines were introduced into Collectors' offices as a first step in transferring information to the LEO III for the preparation of departmental accounts. In October 1965 the processing of certain revenue statistics was taken over and early in 1966 the first of the Department's warehousing accounts. A Heathrow, Customs and a number of airlines were studying the feasibility of creating an automated and integrated import cargo and clearance system. Agents and forwarders joined in. LACES (London Airport Cargo Electronic Data Processing Scheme), as it became known, started up operations in September 1971. It was a milestone in departmental computing history in that it operated 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and for the first time enabled users to enter their information direct into the system and receive immediate responses. In 1978 a similar system for processing maritime cargo entries was introduced . . . . .

 

CUSTOMS and EXCISE MEN by LF Hobley

'Spoilsports who have nothing better to do than rummage in bags and stop 'honest' citizens bringing in a few extra packets of cigarettes and a watch or two.' A popular, but very inaccurate and incomplete, view of what Customs and Excise men do. Apart from their basic job of raising revenue for the government by collecting customs and excise duties, they also protect us in many ways. They enforce the quarantine laws to prevent infectious diseases entering Britain, take regular samples of tea, butter, cheese, milk, etc., to make sure standards of purity are maintained and, very important, try to stop the increasing smuggling of dangerous drugs.

In this book lF Hobley traces the history of the service from the early days when the Roman historian Tacitus observed that the Britons paid their taxes with 'cheerful readiness' to the introduction of VAT.

FORTY YEARS CATCHING SMUGGLERS by Malcolm Nelson

It could have been called 'Confessions of a modern day Customs Officer'. Malcolm Nelson's story through 40 years of working for HM Customs and Excise is sometimes exciting, sometimes sad, sometimes hilarious, but always supremely interesting. It lifts the lid on some of the secrets of an occupation that has always held an air of mystery, and it answers many of those questions that passengers have asked themselves over the years: 'Just how do they decide who to stop'.

HM CUSTOMS & EXCISE - CUTTERS & LAUNCHES Compiled by Philip Simons of the WSS Small Craft Group

Vessels of the HM Customs & Excise Marine Service - Cutters since 1946 and Launches since 1920.

One of the great benefits of membership of the 'Small Craft Group' is that it brings together a band of enthusiasts who mostly have an interest in all small vessels, not only in Naval commission, but in RAF, Army, Fire, Police, Coastguard, Fisheries Protection and Lifeboat service also. The other government service, whose once numerous vessels are to be seen around the UK coastline and whose retired launches still serve less strenuous duties in private hands, is that of HM Customs & Excise.

This service, which has now cut it's cutter & launch numbers to the lowest in its recent history, was renamed in 12005 on it's integration with the Inland Revenue and is now HM Revenue & Customs. During the last twenty years, the author has attempted to research and record surviving vessels of the above services, and, whilst doing so, he has come across many examples of both current and retired Customs Cutters and Launches. However attempts to find any records or lists of the vessels that were built for this secretive organisation have ended in failure, so he decided to make his own fleet list for research purposes.

What you will see in this publication are the classes of vessel operated by HMC&E and the details are gleaned from the following sources. Visual sightings, photographs, Admiralty small craft disposals lists, brokerage reports, cutters & launch builders, ex: Customs craft owners, magazine articles, discussions and correspondence with other members of the small craft group, and Customs contacts.

The author I can't honestly say that this is the complete picture of all vessels operated by the Customs service, especially in the period pre and post World War II and he have found very little on small boats used by the service at this time. In spite of all this, he feel that this must be the most comprehensive listing of Customs craft yet attempted. This has not in any way been an attempt to provide a history of the marine operations of the Customs service, as their somewhat bloody tales of collecting the Revenue and Excise dues has been covered in books before, including the "Kings Cutters" by their own archivist. They usually cover the period - 17th - 19th centuries, with only sketchy details of the 20th century.

PATROL by Ron Bayly

The cargo may have changed, but the determination and resourcefulness of smugglers has not. The secretive nature of the work of HM Customs and Excise has shrouded them in mystery. PATROL gives the inside story, a factual account of the men and ships of today’s cutters – the suspicions, the clues, the chase and seizure of contraband goods. Based on Ron Bayly’s own experiences, PATROL also tells of the frustration, the hardships and the failures. An ideal read for every lover of the sea, and an insight to a world everyone knows exists but to which few have access.

Ronald George Bayly was born in London in 1923. In 1942 he joined the Royal Navy where he served until 1947. He joined the HM Customs in 1948, and because of his interest in the marine section he was allowed to join as a crew member in the cutters from 1953. There he served in various capacities until he was given command in 1966. In 1979 he was awarded an MBE and given command of the latest Customs Cruiser Searcher and, in 1980, Seeker. For many years, he was editor of Coastline, the Revenue Cutter Association magazine. He retired in 1983 and runs a boat charter business out of Felixstowe. He is married with two children and four grandchildren.

 

SOMETHING TO DECLARE by Graham Smith

Speak of Excisemen and the mind leaps with visions of the running battles that once raged around the coasts of Britain against the highly organized bands of armed smugglers. That is certainly part of the story, a story that is brought up to date with the most vital struggle of all - that against the drug-smuggler.

The history of the Customs and Excise has never been covered so fully or actually in literature, for Graham Smith- being the department's Librarian and Archivist - had all the records of this long, varied and often exciting tale at his fingertips.

Many famous literary men , including Chaucer, Tom Paine, Adam Smith and Robert Burns, served in the collection of the Crown's dues, and the twin histories of the Customs and Excise - two separate departments till their fusion in 1909- are told from their beginning to the present day.

The workings and the adventures of the department - one of the oldest to serve the Crown - are described in evocative detail, and it is plain to see that all the colour did not depart with those legendary clashes around Britain's coastline. While its tasks have expanded enormously in certain areas, such as the phenomenal growth of air travel, it is fair to say that the central functions of the department have remained largely unaltered down the centuries.

The responsibilities of Customs and Excise now bring more and more citizens into contact with its officers, and the author performs a valuable service in explaining the mechanics of its operations, especially in areas like that of VAT.

Finally he outlines the effect on the department of UK membership of the EEC, and the possible future harmonization of duties throughout the Community, as well as speculating on a future amalgamation of all UK 'taxation' activities. These are further signposts for the future, on the highways of the past.

After a brief spell in public libraries prior to National Service in the RAF, he joined the Customs and Excise Waterguard Service and served in South Wales ports and Folkestone. Some two years later Mr Smith transferred to the main Outdoor Service and worked at breweries, distilleries and docks in various areas of Great Britain. After working on Purchase Tax and VAT for five years the author was appointed Librarian and Archivist of HM Customs and Excise in 1975. He has written the script, and acts as presenter, for a BBC TV Open University programme entitled Adam Smith and the Customs Service, while he is also engaged on a history of the revenue cutters.