Military historian, university lecturer and one-time oceanographer, Jon Latimer wrote on subjects of military controversy and neglected campaigns. He reviewed military history titles for The Times, The Times Literary Supplement, The Daily Telegraph and History Today. He travelled widely on battlefield research and would almost certainly have achieved a more substantial reputation but for his untimely death from a heart attack at 44.

Jonathan David Latimer was born in Prestatyn, Flintshire, in 1964, the son of Paul D. Latimer. Educated at Christleton County High School, Chester, and University College Swansea, as it then was, he hoped to gain a geography degree but his fascination with the sea led him to switch to oceanography. Subsequently, he worked as an oceanographer for the Ministry of Defence and private companies in Australia, Britain and Europe until becoming a full-time writer in 1997.

His first book, Operation Compass 1940 (2000), dealt with General Sir Richard O’Connor’s decisive defeat of the Italians in Cyrenaica, a victory that could have led to the clearance of North Africa before Rommel arrived but for the diversion of two Commonwealth divisions and their RAF supporting aircraft to take part in the struggle for Greece.

His next book, Tobruk 1941 (2001), examined the implications of the siege of the port, Rommel’s attempt to break in, the garrison’s attempt to break out and then its isolation and surrender after Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie’s precipitate withdrawal of the Eighth Army from the Gazala Line.

Until the publication of his Deception in War in 2001, students looked to Charles Cruickshank’s Deception in World War II (1979) for treatment of this subject in its own right for that conflict. Subsequently, Thaddeus Holt’s panoramic review of deception in The Deceivers, published two years later, was eclipsing in authoritative detail for the 1939-45 period. But Latimer’s book, ranging from the guile of Ramesses II to deception in the Gulf War of 1990-91, has intriguing coverage.

In his El Alamein (2005) Latimer contrasts Rommel’s and Montgomery’s handling of logistics and preparations for battle. Whether Rommel’s exploitation of any opportunity was due to his consistent shortage of logistic support or his preferred technique anyway is arguable; by contrast Montgomery ensured that everything possible was in place, leaving the minimum to chance.

Latimer’s Burma: The Forgotten War returned to the resentment of the veterans of a bitter campaign obscured by the glitter of the geographically closer victories in northwest Europe. Both books appeared in Osprey’s series “Men at Arms”.

In turning to the North American War of 1812-14, Latimer boldly drew the attention of British readers to something consigned to the “better forgotten” category. His book 1812: War with America, published by Harvard University in 2007, was the first written from the British perspective since the early 19th century and was aimed at the UK market.

It was well received on both sides of the Atlantic, however. It won the United States Society of Military History Distinguished Book Award and was shortlisted for the George Washington book prize.

In 2003 Latimer returned to Swansea (by then the University of Wales, Swansea, now Swansea University) to become an honorary research fellow at the James Callaghan Centre for Conflict Studies and a part-time lecturer on “War and Society”. Professor John French, director of the Centre for Conflict Studies, described Latimer as an exceptionally gifted and inspiring teacher who had been a great success with his colleagues at Swansea. Latimer was also a guest lecturer at the Joint Services Command and Staff College at Shrivenham.

Meanwhile he had enlisted as a sapper in the Royal Monmouthshire (Militia) RE but was commissioned in the 3rd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers, Territorial Army, in 1986. He served an attachment with the regular 1st Battalion RWF in Northern Ireland for six months in 1989, with the Australian 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers, 1991-92, and as the intelligence officer of the 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales 1992-93. His close interest in the history of the Royal Welch Fusiliers led to him becoming the commentator for the BBC Radio Wales production on the regiment’s part in the Corunna campaign of 1809, which is due to be broadcast this evening.

An interest in the sea persisted through his membership of the lifeboat crew at Ferryside, Carmarthenshire; he sailed his own boat and had begun the restoration of another. At the time of his death he was completing a book on the part played by the West Indian buccaneers on the establishment of British, Dutch and French colonies in the Caribbean. It is due to be published in April. Latimer won a reputation as a military historian in a remarkably short span of time and his work held great promise for the future.

He was unmarried but his entry in MySpace under “Who I’d like to Meet” was “Any attractive single women who like fresh air!”

Jon Latimer, oceanographer and military historian, was born on June 24, 1964. He died of a heart attack on January 4, 2009, aged 44