Mr Britling Sees It Through was first published in 1916.
Set in the summer of 1914 the main hero, Mr Britling, is an eccentric writer whose days are spent at luxurious house parties socialising with a lot of international guests. When he bores of these careless days of nothing to do except eat, drink and be merry he can travel abroad where his mistress is patiently waiting for him to stop by.
However, the clouds of war have started to set in as Germany marches into Belgium and Europe is no longer the safe and fun haven that it once was. It is soon brought home to Mr Britling that war is not just an inconvenience to his lifestyle but also a danger to the people he loves. What can he do, though? All he's ever done is write, travel or attend parties; surely the world needs someone who has done more than that?