The Nearly Man
The Nearly Man is the true, yet almost unbelievable, story of one man's incredible life, beginning in rural Scotland in the reign of Queen Victoria, and ending on the west coast of Canada in the 1970s. In one of the 20th century's great untold stories we travel with Francis Metcalfe on an amazing journey from the great estates of Scotland to the battlefields of Flanders, and the trenches of the Somme. His associations with the soon-to-be famous and his brushes with death were followed by his heroics in the ice fields of Arctic Russia, wasted years in post-war London, and a narrow escape from being murdered by Sinn Féin in Ireland.

After a spell in prison for fraud, Metcalfe became a fugitive from Scottish Law as he engineered a daring escape to France, while the attention of the police was diverted. After hiding in Paris during the 1920s, among the ‘Lost Generation' of writers, Metcalfe was arrested at gunpoint and thrown in France's most notorious jail. In his own words, Metcalfe tells the astounding story of his flight from justice, his subsequent trial, imprisonment, followed by release, his second escape from the police, his capture and his decision to start a new life in Canada. . . . only to become embroiled in Communist riots, the hardship of the depression, the infamous ‘Ottawa Trek', and the impending war.

The Nearly Man tells the story of one man's adventures through some of the last century's lesser- known conflicts, and his encounters with the famous thinkers, writers and soldiers of his time. But it also shows how his exploits impacted the people around him. Francis Metcalfe almost became one of Britain's notable war heroes, poets, writers, adventurers, businessmen and criminals. If Metcalfe had succeeded, he would doubtless be immortalised in history. Instead, his incredible adventures through some of history's forgotten events had become lost in time, until his story was painstakingly unearthed for this book.
1140564700
The Nearly Man
The Nearly Man is the true, yet almost unbelievable, story of one man's incredible life, beginning in rural Scotland in the reign of Queen Victoria, and ending on the west coast of Canada in the 1970s. In one of the 20th century's great untold stories we travel with Francis Metcalfe on an amazing journey from the great estates of Scotland to the battlefields of Flanders, and the trenches of the Somme. His associations with the soon-to-be famous and his brushes with death were followed by his heroics in the ice fields of Arctic Russia, wasted years in post-war London, and a narrow escape from being murdered by Sinn Féin in Ireland.

After a spell in prison for fraud, Metcalfe became a fugitive from Scottish Law as he engineered a daring escape to France, while the attention of the police was diverted. After hiding in Paris during the 1920s, among the ‘Lost Generation' of writers, Metcalfe was arrested at gunpoint and thrown in France's most notorious jail. In his own words, Metcalfe tells the astounding story of his flight from justice, his subsequent trial, imprisonment, followed by release, his second escape from the police, his capture and his decision to start a new life in Canada. . . . only to become embroiled in Communist riots, the hardship of the depression, the infamous ‘Ottawa Trek', and the impending war.

The Nearly Man tells the story of one man's adventures through some of the last century's lesser- known conflicts, and his encounters with the famous thinkers, writers and soldiers of his time. But it also shows how his exploits impacted the people around him. Francis Metcalfe almost became one of Britain's notable war heroes, poets, writers, adventurers, businessmen and criminals. If Metcalfe had succeeded, he would doubtless be immortalised in history. Instead, his incredible adventures through some of history's forgotten events had become lost in time, until his story was painstakingly unearthed for this book.
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The Nearly Man

The Nearly Man

by Mark Bridgeman
The Nearly Man

The Nearly Man

by Mark Bridgeman

Paperback

$24.95 
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Overview

The Nearly Man is the true, yet almost unbelievable, story of one man's incredible life, beginning in rural Scotland in the reign of Queen Victoria, and ending on the west coast of Canada in the 1970s. In one of the 20th century's great untold stories we travel with Francis Metcalfe on an amazing journey from the great estates of Scotland to the battlefields of Flanders, and the trenches of the Somme. His associations with the soon-to-be famous and his brushes with death were followed by his heroics in the ice fields of Arctic Russia, wasted years in post-war London, and a narrow escape from being murdered by Sinn Féin in Ireland.

After a spell in prison for fraud, Metcalfe became a fugitive from Scottish Law as he engineered a daring escape to France, while the attention of the police was diverted. After hiding in Paris during the 1920s, among the ‘Lost Generation' of writers, Metcalfe was arrested at gunpoint and thrown in France's most notorious jail. In his own words, Metcalfe tells the astounding story of his flight from justice, his subsequent trial, imprisonment, followed by release, his second escape from the police, his capture and his decision to start a new life in Canada. . . . only to become embroiled in Communist riots, the hardship of the depression, the infamous ‘Ottawa Trek', and the impending war.

The Nearly Man tells the story of one man's adventures through some of the last century's lesser- known conflicts, and his encounters with the famous thinkers, writers and soldiers of his time. But it also shows how his exploits impacted the people around him. Francis Metcalfe almost became one of Britain's notable war heroes, poets, writers, adventurers, businessmen and criminals. If Metcalfe had succeeded, he would doubtless be immortalised in history. Instead, his incredible adventures through some of history's forgotten events had become lost in time, until his story was painstakingly unearthed for this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781849955003
Publisher: Whittles Publishing
Publication date: 09/15/2022
Pages: 256
Product dimensions: 6.22(w) x 8.99(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Mark has had a number of crime fiction and non-fiction books published and has appeared on ITV, Channel 5 at the Three Lochs Book Festival.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 The thirst of youth 1

2 Sunsets and sunrises 11

3 Once I sought the grail 17

4 Grown old before my day 48

5 The waste land 74

6 This side of paradise 85

7 Metcalfe's curse 105

8 A great or little thing? 111

9 The moving finger writes 123

10 A tangled web 161

11 Another day, another chance 169

12 Blown by changing winds 178

13 At the ends of the earth I stand 188

14 Brave new world 198

15 Because you died 210

16 Journey's end 225

Epilogue 229

Metcalfe's undiscovered poem 231

Chapter titles explained 233

Acknowledgements and sources 237

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