Great WW1 spy story! ( )

spies, espionage, Germany, England, mystery,WW1 , action/adventure

The pair who were Manning Coles predated Sir Ian, Len Deighton, et al, and set the standard for dark novels of espionage in wartime. One of them actually had been an English spy in Germany during WWI, and their books are loosely based on his experiences and views.
I first read this one while still in high school many years ago and was pleased that it had been reissued so that I could read it again after so many years. I found it moving then, and even more so now. The tale, with its bursts of humor and renditions of exploits is a study of historical events and speculation, but it is the human responses of the characters that remain unchanged by time.
It tells about a young man who followed in the footsteps of an admired teacher who encouraged his facility with languages as he worked as an English agent in Germany. In its own way, the perils of espionage were as personally devastating as any military aspect of any war, and that includes those factors which distance the participants from others.
It continues to be both interesting and a valuable lesson. ( )

Drink to Yesterday is based on the life of Cyril Henry Coles. Like his character, Michael Kingston (given name)/William Saunders (alias when he signed up in the military)/Dirk Brandt (spy name), Coles lied about his age and enlisted at 16 in the British army during World War I.
William Saunders proves to be invaluable to the Foreign Intelligence Office when his fluency in conversational German is discovered. He goes on to have some harrowing and exciting experiences with his mentor, Tommy Hambledon. As Dirk Brandt, Saunders spends so much time behind enemy lines that he develops an entirely dual life for himself. After the war is over he has a hard time separating the two. His relationship with two separate women is heartbreaking. The end of Drink to Yesterday leaves the door open for its sequel, Toast to Tomorrow. ( )

The first and most serious of the Hambledon stories (though even it has the hilarious "fish code" sequence) . In this one Hambledon is the senior spy initiating a younger one who is the point of view character; they operate in Germany during and just after World War I. It is notable for a very vivid and somewhat sympathetic descripton of conditions in Germany at the time. The younger spy dies at the end, but Hambledon goes on to become hero of a long series of adventures, some on a much lighter note. ( )

I just finished Drink to Yesterday by Manning Coles. I'm reading down my mysteries and thought this was going to be another one of those rather silly, but fun, spy/mysteries with intrepid stiff-upper lip heroes. And it started out that way. But then a few chapters in there was a definite change and, my goodness, I found myself reading a grim, realistic story of life as a British spy living in Cologne during WWI Coles brings in the difficulty of maintaining a cover identity, the boredom between assignments, and what happens when a spy becomes a valued member of a community with dear friends he must betray.

The only thing that put me off was the age of the protagonist, 18. Then I read Manning Coles bio and it turns that that there were two authors. Adele Manning who worked in the War Office during the war and Cyril Coles, an espionage agent during the war. Coles lied about his age, joined the army at 16, and when they found out he had a gift not only for languages but for dialects within languages, he was sent into deep cover in Germany as the youngest member of British Intelligence. Because of the Official Secrets Act, there was speculation that he and Adele could only write fiction based on their true exploits. Hence, the ring of realism in the novel.

I am still pondering the insights into a spy's life. It is as though Bulldog Drummond bypassed James Bond and turned into George Smiley while I was reading. ( )