This is the story of the life of the famous British writer F.Britten-Austin (1885-1941), aka my grandfather. He was famous for his short stories, which were often published in magazines like The New Yorker, Esquire (in the U.S.) and The Strand (in the U.K.). He was very rich and famous between 1920 and 1938, but he ended his life in poverty in an English hospital. He wrote his autobiography in 1939, just as the Second World War began, and died just two years later. He achieved fame and fortune during the 1920s. As a WW1 war correspondent, he had the original idea of writing stories about war from the German point of view. He went on to write and publish hundreds of short stories and screenplays, and he met stars of the screen and stage, both in the UK and Hollywood.

This autobiography was one of the few of his writings which was never published. It was lost in the chaos of WW2 when he had to leave his London house and move to a rented farmhouse in the west of England. It was discovered 65 years later when I was sorting out my father's papers after he died in 2006 and has lain in my desk drawer until now.

I have not changed Freddy's language much, even if it may seem a bit strange to the modern reader. Wherever a word has been used that is no longer in use, I have explained it in a foot-note.I have also added some pictures and included two short stories to show what his writing was like.