London — Dan Ryan

LONDON is the continuation of the story begun in WAR OF THE NATIONS. It is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents portrayed in this novel are the product of the authors imagination or have been used fictitiously. The characters are placed within the historical perspective of the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918 and the years immediately following this event. The events depicted in this novel were first presented in the Times Encyclopedia and Gazetter, 431 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois, copyrighted 1934. This collection of eight volumes contains a comprehensive, day by day narrative of the world war and years immediately following. The main characters are Admiral James Caldwell and his two sons, James Jr. and Louis Caldwell. James Sr. is the story teller as the navy family considers moving to London following the war.
The purchase of 1600 acres called Spring Well in the novel is based upon the purchase of Chart Well by Winston Churchill in 1921. Winston Churchill faced a similar situation in his life at this time in history. Churchill entered the British army in 1893, fought at the battle of Khartoum with the Nile Expeditionary Forces in 1898 and was in the Boer War of 1899. He was elected to parliament for Oldham in 1900, was Under-secretary of State for the Colonies in 1906, married Clementine Hozier in 1908 and was Home Secretary in 1910. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty, Minister of Munitions and Secretary for War and Air during the war. In 1921 he was voted out of office and the House of Commons.
The novel is a work of fiction. Its location was inspired by my time spent in London during the spring semester of 1974. The Rotary Foundation Group Exchange, district 114 in England invited a number of scholars from the United States to spend time in England living with various Rotarians of District 114. I was teaching at the University of Nebraska at the time, and I was chosen to represent District 565 of the United States. It was during this time that I came to know the people of Reigate, Redhill and Merstham, just south of London. This is where I met some of the characters for my novel and I stayed overnight in the Prince of Wales in Reigate, the Ashleigh Public House in Redhill and the Lakers Hotel in Merstham.
The historical events which are outlined in this book all took place. The dates and locations are accurate, but the characters are the products of my overactive imagination. Some persons mentioned, however, are real. You cannot write about this period of our history without making reference to commanding admirals or generals.