 During the Second World War, he served in the army, in France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy, where he broadcast to the Allied Forces.Illness while in Italy forced him to curtail his medical studies and concentrate on writing.As a freelance journalist, he contributed to many newspapers and periodicals, including "The Times", "The Daily Telegraph", "The Guardian", "Contemporary Review", "Books and Bookmen", "Chambers's Journal", the "Daily Mail", the "Daily Express", the "Liverpool Daily Post", and the "Liverpool Echo" as well as the "New York Times".