William Gerhardie (1895-1977) was born in St Petersburg. Leaving Russia in the wake of the 1917 revolution, Gerhardie travelled to Siberia with the British Military Mission. After two years there, he left the army with an OBE, sailing to England by way of Singapore, Colombo and Port Said – a journey that forms the closing chapters of The Polyglots. He died in London in 1977.