A British soldier in World War I, he was wounded on the Somme and his death notice was published in
"The London Times". He recovered in a field hospital and dictated a correction to
the Times.
He allegedly declined the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British
Empire) in 1957 and the Companion of Honor in 1984 for his services to
literature.
He can be seen very briefly as an extra in Bryan Forbes' Deadfall (1968), some of which was filmed near his home.
He and Anthony Burgess had a long-standing literary feud, which began when Burgess was still only a student.
Father: Alfred Perceval Graves; Mother: Amalie (Amy) Elizabeth von Ranke.