Writing a book recalling tales of life on and below the ocean waves turned into a family affair.

Having listened to her uncle recounting stories of his days in the Royal Navy, most notably serving during the Russian Cold War, graphic designer Amy Alldred decided to help him put pen to paper.

Amy’s mum, Kass, 63, also added her own special touch so that her brother, Bob Clarke, could start a new chapter in his life.

The trio are now looking forward to the launch of “If You Can’t Take A Joke...You Shouldn’t Have Joined”.

Amy, 25, who lives with her mum and dad, Roger, in Roseberry Gardens, Dartford, said: “It all started with my dad saying how my uncle should write things down and the idea for a book grew from that.

“It’s been a couple of years in the making. I’m a graphic designer but when it comes to putting a book together we were complete amateurs.

“My uncle wrote his stories down, my mum then typed it up for him and helped to edit it. I then put the whole book together and have created a website.

“It was a learning curve for all of us but really good fun and quite exciting. It was really interesting to read it and is full of nice anecdotes.”

The 74-year-old sailed around the world during his 12 years service in the Navy.

He even married his wife, Jan, 73, in Malta in 1963 while he was serving as a radar operator aboard the submarine Tiptoe.

Mr Clarke explained: “I have some fantastic memories and that’s what the book is all about.

“The original idea was to have something to pass on to any grandchildren but it snowballed into a book, with Kass dotting the ‘i’s, crossing the ‘t’s and keeping me to the point, and Amy was like a master gunner keeping us in hand.

“The book tries to convey not only the humour but also some of the realities, the harshness of training and the often uncomfortable conditions in which we lived and worked.”

Some of the chapters are deliberately open-ended to reflect how life was often cut short when a ship left a port, while one is devoted to Mr Clarke’s early days as a sea cadet visiting Gravesend’s open air swimming pool.

He plans to donate a percentage of profits to charities including the Royal British Legion, as well as raffle the original artwork by illustrator Shaun Mark Stone for Help For Heroes.

To buy a copy of Mr Clarke’s book, priced £10, click here.