大象传媒

Born in Paris to British parents, Edward Louis Spears first became the liaison officer between Field Marshall Sir John French and General Charles Lanrezac, commander of the French Fifth Army, in August 1914. In this month General Lanrezac made a sudden decision to retreat - a manoeuvre that would have left the British forces on his flank dangerously exposed. Edward urgently reported this to Sir John French who called off a British advance the night before it was due to commence - and in doing so prevented a massive loss of life.

In the following month Edward met the French General Joseph Joffre who had begun to plot out Allied strategies ahead of the First Battle of Marne. He was extremely impressed at the ease with which one man could exercise his will over a million men for the fate of his country without the slightest hint of reservation, and still be in bed by 10 o'clock. Edward was party to many intimate moments of the generals - he recalls how Joffre's dramatic plea for British involvement at Marne made Sir John French cry.

By 1917, Edward was head of the British Military Mission to the French government in Paris. The French army was haemorrhaging lives, fuelling unrest within the ranks. Mutiny was in the air, and swept through the regiments - Edward reported this to London before the British army became swept up in the mess. Summoned from the Front to 10 Downing Street, Edward was interrogated by Lloyd George as to the severity of the mutinies - and in a scene that would be unbelievable had it been written for a drama - Edward lost his temper at the Prime Minister.

Edward's account is a fantastic example of how a subaltern could become the bearer of overwhelming responsibility, and provides a privileged insight into the mind of some of the Allied forces' most important leaders.