Defying the Black Eagle and Then There’s the Irish

WAR

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The end of Queen Victoria’s reign and the Edwardian period that followed witnessed some of the greatest social and political upheavals the world had ever seen. Patriarchal aristocratic dominance was gradually being replaced by the educated middle classes. In Great Britain, the House of Lords had lost its power of veto, and for the first time, a Liberal government had been voted into power. The fight for Irish independence was growing stronger by the year, as were the suffragettes, who had replaced peaceful demonstrations with violence and illegal tactics. Spies were everywhere, or so the public believed, and as war with Germany came closer, the modern British Secret Service was formed. This novel is about one woman’s involvement in all of the above, ably assisted by a few Irish folk she chanced to meet along the way.

I was born in Ormskirk, grew up in Melling and educated by Irish Christian Brothers in nearby Liverpool. I then went to Birmingham University where I studied Medicine, ending up many years later, working as a Consultant Physician in the Black Country.

Following my retirement, I returned to the classroom, earning myself a BA (Hons) in Literature from the Open University.

I have always been fascinated by events that took place at the beginning of the twentieth century. Aristocratic dominance in both rural and urban areas was on the wane. The House of Lords lost their power of veto. The educated middle classes were gradually taking over the running of the country. The Labour Party was formed, the suffragettes were wreaking havoc and the Irish were fighting for their independence. Britain had the biggest empire the world had ever seen. Germany had become one nation, dominated by the Prussian aristocracy who desperately wanted a navy and an empire to match the British.

So I decided to write a novel about it.

My main characters are fictitious but nearly all of the events I describe actually took place. It is mainly concerned with espionage and counter-espionage around the time MI5 and MI6 were formed.

It is my first attempt at writing a novel.