To War with Whitaker: The Wartime Diaries of the Countess of Ranfurly, 1939-1945In September 1939, the young Lord and Lady Ranfurly's idyllic holiday in Scotland was brought to a premature end when war broke out. Dan Ranfurly, with his faithful valet Whitaker, were sent to North Africa. When her husband was taken prisoner, his wife bluffed her way to the Middle East and stayed there, against all the rules, until her husband escaped. Meanwhile she gained a foothold in officialdom and rose from one confidential position to the next, with her only ally the indomitable Whitaker. Countess Ranfurly's diaries of this time give a witty, charming and compulsive insight into the problems of a young woman at war. |
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1942 Jerusalem Admiral Cunningham aerodrome Air Marshal Air Marshal Slessor Algiers Allied American Arab Army arrived asked Baghdad battle Battling Butler bombed Bonner Fellers British Cairo camp Caserta Churchill Coco Commander Dan's Daphne David Stirling Desert dined dinner door drove Durban Eaker East Chisenbury Egypt Empress of Britain England English Fitzroy flew French Freya Stark friends garden gave Germans goodbye Greece Greek guns horses Hotel Italian Italy Jumbo Karkur King landed laughed leave letter London looked lovely luggage lunch Middle East miles morning mountains Naples Neame Palestine party plane prisoner raid Ranfurly returned road Rome round Russians secretary Sherwood Rangers ship Sir Harold soldiers soon staff stay talked telephoned Tobruk Toby Today told tomorrow took troops village waiting walked watched Wavell week Whitaker wonderful Yesterday