Originally published 1985.

Machine generated contents note: 1.An Enduring Mystery -- 2.The Early Years -- 3.Victor Enters the Valley -- 4.1907 By-election: The Breakthrough -- 5.The Suffragettes -- 6.Grayson in Parliament -- 7.A Political Comeback -- 8.Marriage and America -- 9.Australia -- 10.New Zealand -- 11.World War I -- 12.The Honours Scandal -- 13.Grayson's Disappearance: The Conventional Account -- 14.In Search of Answers -- 15.Labour's Lost Leader.

Victor Grayson's life may have been short but it was certainly action-packed. Born in the slums of Liverpool, a bright lad, he served an engineering apprenticeship before becoming captivated by religion. He began preaching in non-conformist churches before training as a Unitarian minister and attending Manchester University. His interest switched to politics and, in 1907, aged 25, he shook the British Establishment when he won the Colne Valley by-election as a socialist with active support from the Suffragettes. The 1910 election saw him lose his seat but split the Labour Party in the process. He then married an actress, travelled to Australia and New Zealand, where he joined the Anzac Forces and sailed for France. Wounded at Passchendaele, he was invalided out of the army. In 1918, his wife died tragically giving birth to their second daughter.