David Brouwer

Double dealing and doubtful allies abound in this biography of a complex fraudster, conman and philanderer who served his country honourably in the First World War and was determined to serve in the Second as a spy for England. He certainly had the necessary qualities! Sadly, his past stigmatised him and placed him under constant suspicion as a double agent working for Germany. Carolinda Witt has undertaken a remarkable research effort in constructing her story using documents and interviews from both sides of the conflict. The details of agent ‘Celery’s’ adventures and mis-steps are recounted in painstaking detail. And the gaps in his story only add to the mystery of the man. If it wasn’t a true story, it would be unbelievable. Well done Carolinda for pursuing the often shameful truth of your grandfather’s tangled life.