RMS Mauretania (1906) and were requested by the British government to become armed merchant cruisers, but their huge size and massive fuel consumption made them unsuitable for the duty, and they resumed their civilian service on 11 August. Later, due to lack of passengers crossing the Atlantic, "Mauretania" was laid up in Liverpool until May 1915 at the time that "Lusitania" was sunk by a German U-boat. "Mauretania" was about to fill the void left by "Lusitania", but she was ordered by the British government to serve as a troop ship to carry British soldiers during the Gallipoli Campaign. She avoided becoming prey
The World That Never Was and anti-revolutionaries of the period. David Peers, in the anarchist newspaper "Freedom", recommended the "racily and colourfully written" book while pointing outs its omission of anarcho-syndicalism and anarchism in Ukraine and Mexico. Socialist feminist writer Sheila Rowbotham, writing in "The Independent", wrote that ""The World That Never Was" conveys the labyrinthine coils of conspirators and spies with graphic panache" but noted Butterworth's failure to convey his characters' ideals and motives, and his imprecise referencing style. Leo McKinstry of the "Daily Express" praised the book's scope and its "rich cast of characters" but argued it was let down by Butterworth's style