Hermione, Countess of 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.

"An extraordinary story. No review can do justice to the writing" - Sunday Express

"These absolutely spiffing diaries offer a madcap, aristocratic window behind the lines of war" - Daily Mail

"Few diaries from any era could be as fascinating . . . This is truly compulsive reading" - Woman and Home