Magnificent Britain

It is 1971 and Nigel Lush's official biography of First World War hero, Sir Maurice Brearley, is ready for publication. Brearley had been a revered establishment figure, arms manufacturer and founder of the Magnificent Britain gardening competition. At the last minute, Nigel receives some startling and unexpected allegations about Brearley's conduct at the Battle of Loos. "The man's a fraud," says veteran soldier Leonard Stidges, "a liar and a fraud". When confronted with these allegations, Maurice's widow produces even more extraordinary revelations about her late husband's behaviour. This places Nigel in a terrible dilemma that forces him into a decision which changes his life forever. Michael Murray's epic novel questions the relationship between biography and truth and explores the hypocrisy, class consciousness and prejudice that permeated British society during the Twentieth Century.