Bruce Marshall Lieutenant - Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall , known as Bruce Marshall ( 24 June 1899 – 18 June 1987 ) was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non - fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres . His first book , " A Thief in the Night " came out in 1918 , possibly self - published . His last , " An Account of Capers " was published posthumously in 1988 , a span of 70 years . Life and work . Marshall was born in Edinburgh , Scotland , the son of Claude Niven Marshall and Annie Margaret ( Bruce ) Marshall . He was educated at St . Andrews . He became a Roman Catholic in 1917 and remained active and interested in the faith for the rest of his life . He was a member and at times served as an officer in the Una Voce and the Latin Mass Society organizations . During World War I he initially served as a private in the Highland Light Infantry . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1918 . Six days before the 1918 Armistice he was seriously wounded . Courageous German medical orderlies risked intense shelling to rescue him and he was taken prisoner . His injuries resulted in the amputation of one leg . He was promoted to lieutenant in 1919 and invalided out in 1920 . After the war he completed his education in Scotland , became an auditor , and moved to France where he worked in the Paris branch of Peat Marwick Mitchell . In 1928 he married Mary Pearson Clark ( 1908 – 1987 ) . They had one daughter — Sheila Elizabeth Bruce Marshall . In 2009 , his granddaughter , Leslie Ferrar , was Treasurer to the Prince of Wales . He was living in Paris during the 1940 Invasion of France and escaped two days before the Nazi occupied the city . Returning to England he rejoined the military , initially serving in the Royal Army Pay Corps as a lieutenant . He was promoted to captain in Intelligence , assisting the French underground , and then was a lieutenant - colonel in the Displaced Persons Division in Austria . He transferred to the General List in 1945 , and left the Army as a lieutenant - colonel in 1946 . After the war Marshall returned to France , moving to the Côte d ' Azur and living there for the remainder of his life . He died in Biot , France , six days before his 88th birthday . Writing career . A Roman Catholic convert , his stories are usually humorous and mildly satiric and typically have religious overtones . Important themes which run through his works are Catholicism , accounting , a Scottish heritage and war , adventure and intrigue . Often major characters are accountants or Catholic priests . Characters in his novels are often fond of animals and concerned about their treatment . Contempt for modern art and literature is often expressed . Marshall ' s first literary work was a collection of short stories entitled " A Thief in the Night " published while he was still a student at St . Andrews University . His first novel , " This Sorry Scheme " was published in 1924 . A stream of novels soon followed , but none of the fiction he wrote before the Second World War gained as much notoriety or staying power as " Father Malachy ' s Miracle " ( 1931 ) . After the Second World War Marshall became a writer full - time , giving up his work as an accountant . As to his dual career as an accountant and writer , Marshall once said , " I am an accountant who writes books . In accounting circles I am hailed as a great writer . Among novelists I am assumed to be a competent accountant . " Among his better known works after the Second World War is " The White Rabbit " ( 1953 ) , a biography of Wing Commander F . F . E . Yeo - Thomas , describing his exploits and sufferings while in the Resistance during World War II . In 1959 he was awarded the Włodzimierz Pietrzak prize . The theme of much of Marshall ' s works is religion , with a focus on Roman Catholicism . His first great success , " Father Malachy ' s Miracle " , is about an innocent Scottish priest whose encounter with sinful behavior causes him to become involved in a miracle . A number of his later novels also deal with clergy who are faced with temptation but manage to triumph in a modest and humble manner ( e . g . , " The World , the Flesh , and Father Smith " ( AKA " All Glorious Within " ) ( 1944 ) , " A Thread of Scarlet " ( AKA " Satan and Cardinal Campbell " ) ( 1959 ) , " Father Hilary ' s Holiday " ( 1965 ) , " The Month of the Falling Leaves " ( 1963 ) ) . Other books centered on religious issues deal more with Catholic doctrine and its relationship to modern life than with personal responsibility , such as " The Bishop " ( 1970 ) , " Peter the Second " ( 1976 ) , " Urban the Ninth " ( 1973 ) and " Marx the First " ( 1975 ) . Like many expatriates , Marshall expressed great love for his homeland . Most of his books were either set in Great Britain and / or have main characters of British nationality . The work which best shows Marshall ' s affection for Scotland may be " The Black Oxen " ( 1972 ) , which Marshall billed as a Scottish Epic . Several of Marshall ' s books have themes about espionage and intrigue , such as " Luckypenny " ( 1937 ) , " A Girl from Lübeck " ( 1962 ) , " The Month of the Falling Leaves " ( 1963 ) , " Operation Iscariot " ( 1974 ) , " An Account of Capers " ( 1988 ) , " The Accounting " ( AKA " The Bank Audit " ) ( 1958 ) , and " Only Fade Away " ( 1954 ) . Some of his novels feature major characters who , like Marshall himself , have suffered the loss of a limb . Often major characters from one novel appear in minor roles in other novels . Marshall was relatively popular in his time . His books were reviewed in major publications on both sides of the Atlantic . At least two of his books were Book of the Month Club selections ; " Vespers in Vienna " ( 1947 ) and " The World , the Flesh , and Father Smith " ( AKA " All Glorious Within " ) ( 1944 ) , in June 1945 . An Armed Services Edition of " The World , the Flesh , and Father Smith " was also produced . His books were published in at least nine languages — English , Dutch , French , German , Italian , Polish , Czech , Portuguese & Spanish . Film , stage and television adaptations . His 1931 novel " Father Malachy ' s Miracle " was adapted for the stage in 1938 by Brian Doherty . The novel was adapted for presentation on " The Ford Theatre Hour " , an American TV show , in 1950 . In 1961 , the novel was the basis for the German film " Das Wunder des Malachias " directed by Bernhard Wicki and starring Horst Bollmann , Richard Münch and Christiane Nielsen . His 1947 novel " Vespers in Vienna " was the basis of the 1949 film " The Red Danube " starring Walter Pidgeon , Ethel Barrymore , Peter Lawford , Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh . George Sidney directed . After the movie ' s release the novel was re - issued under the title " The Red Danube " . His 1953 novel " The Fair Bride " was the basis of the 1960 film " The Angel Wore Red " starring Ava Gardner , Dirk Bogarde , Joseph Cotten and Vittorio De Sica . It was the last film directed by Nunnally Johnson . His 1952 book , " The White Rabbit " , recounting the World War II exploits of secret agent F . F . E . Yeo - Thomas , was made into a TV mini - series in 1967 . His 1963 novel " The Month of the Falling Leaves " was the basis of the 1968 German TV show " Der Monat der Fallenden Blätter " . Marshall co - wrote the screenplay with Herbert Asmodi . It was directed by Dietrich Haugk .