Under Two Flags — Max Egremont

Major General Sir Edward Louis Spears (1886-1974) lived under two flags: those of France and Great Britain. Brought up in France, he became an outstanding liaison officer (wounded four times) between the French and British forces during the First World War, dealing with Clemenceau, Petain and Lloyd George. But it was his meeting with Winston Churchill in 1916 that led to one of the closest friendships of his life. Called 'Winston's spy' by his enemies, he worked with Churchill between the wars as a member of parliament and was sent by the Prime Minister in June 1940 as his representative to the doomed French government, escaping with Charles de Gaulle to raise the standard of Fighting France in London. Then, after the disastrous Dakar expedition and Anglo-French discord in the Middle East, the relationship between Spears and de Gaulle turned from admiring intimacy to bitter dislike.
Making full use of Spears's letter, diaries and papers, this biography provides a unique commentary on the turbulence of Britain's relations with France, as well as revealing the reactions of a consummate artist to the great personalities and events of his time.