Hard Lying: Eastern Mediterranean, 1914-1919

First published in 1926, Weldon was mapping the deserts of Egypt when war broke out. Working from out of a steam yacht based on Port Said or Famagusta, he ran a network of spies and confidential agents onto the Levant coast behind Turkish lines. He was a fluent Arabic speaker and could conduct personal interviews on the shore, as well as landing and taking off agents - all conveyed by small boats through the surf under the cover of night. This vivid tale of adventure becomes eyewitness history as we encounter Armenian’s escaping the massacres, passionate Arab nationalists, resolute Turkish soldiers and a heroic network of Jewish volunteers. Weldon’s modesty and self-deprecating Irish wit (complete with a few prejudices) help us understand that these adventures were all true. So many of our books are written by professional writers, but this is a story that simply had to be told. We were extraordinarily lucky with our agents. I don’t think more than seven were actually captured. Six of these were hanged and one had his head cut off.

Hard Lying is a naval expression that has nothing to do with bunk beds or mendacity. It was the extra allowance given to men serving in small boats.