To War with Whitaker, Paperback

Hermione Ranfurly kept a diary for seventy five years, and To War with Whitaker guides us through the most adventurous, most defiant, and most valiant of those years. Hermione and Dan Ranfurly married only months before the Second World War erupted. So when Dan was posted to the Middle East, taking only their faithful butler Whitaker with him, Hermione resolved to join them there. This memoir showcases astounding displays of commitment and independence; after vowing not to go home without her husband, Hermione travelled alone from Cape Town to Palestine for the six years he was imprisoned, meeting many notable characters along the way.With wit and exuberance Hermione's diary entries take us To War with Whitaker and back again, providing sharp insight of the strong and outspoken woman she always was.

Hermione Llewellyn moved to Australia at 24 to become the personal assistant to the Governor of New South Wales. It was there that she met her husband to be, Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of Ranfurly. On the outbreak of World War II, Daniel Ranfurly was posted to the Middle East and Lady Ranfurly broke all protocol by insisting on joining him there. During her six years traveling she held a variety of jobs and mixed with a myriad of important people: from Churchill, to the kings of Greece, Egypt, and Yugoslavia, and writers such as Noel Coward and Evelyn Waugh. After the war Lord Ranfurly was appointed Governor of the Bahamas. Not one to rest on her laurels, Lady Ranfurly set about providing local schools and libraries with the books they lacked. Upon returning to London she continued to send books all over the world, a service which evolved into the organization Book Aid International, and has sent over 32 million books to libraries across the world.