Captain Duncan Grinnell-Milne MC, DFC & Bar (1896-1973) was born in London and educated at Cheam School and the University of Freiburg where he became fluent in German. He was commissioned into the infantry in 1914 but later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. After the First World War he served with the Royal Air Force in the Middle East and as a test-pilot at Farnborough before being appointed an air attaché in Paris. When he retired from the air force in 1926 he worked as an art dealer in New York, as an author and as a broadcaster for the BBC. In 1939 he was recalled by the RAF and served through 1940 and 1941, including a period as General de Gaulle's liaison officer, before rejoining the BBC. In later life he settled in London and became a professional writer.