The manuscript was submitted by a young officer of the R.F.A., who brought the papers back from France at the end of World War I after discovering them in a secreted dark corner, wedged between a post and the wall of one of the bunks. There was no indication of the writer's name or unit (and he was presumably dead), nor was the name of the girl he loved mentioned. Since it would be impossible to trace who the letters belonged to, the young officer sent the documents to the publisher John Lane, in an attempt to bring the letters to the attention of the American woman whom the letters were written about. He hoped that she would stumble upon the book, and know how much her kindness meant to a young British officer on leave in Paris, and the romance that she kindled in the heart of her lost soldier, which he himself did not tell her. This book has incredible literary value and poignant human importance, giving a clear sighted analysis of the reality of war and the devastation caused when men are required to kill one-another.