Reviews:
Meticulously researched and quarried from numerous unpublished sources, 'Servant of Empire' is not only a fascinating, vivid account of the life of an eminent engineer and World War I Captain, but a keyhole through which the achievements and upheavals of the British Empire are illuminated. From the hills of Westmorland, to the swamps of Nigeria and the trenches of the Western Front, Martin Gibson follows his subject on a journey that will inform and enthral anyone with an interest in the development of, and fight for, modern Britain.
Dr John Leigh, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

Barrister Martin Gibson's meticulously researched biography of his great-grandfather Thomas Wilson Bracken gives us a fascinating insight into the final decades of the British Empire.
Bracken, who was to become a prominent Westmorland Tory, was born and raised on a high Pennine farm and inspired by the railway book, trained as a civil engineer. He played a part in the final phase of Victorian railway construction in England, Scotland and Ireland before becoming involved in the first railways built in Africa.
In World War One, at the age of 50, Bracken witnessed the conflict as an officer-engineer on the Western Front. Bracken ended his life much more sedately as a man of letters and newspaper correspondent.
Westmorland Gazette, 14 January 2010.

About this Book:
'Servant of Empire' charts the life of Thomas Wilson Bracken, engineer, railway-builder, soldier and patriot. Author Martin Gibson uses the eventful life of his ancestor to shed fresh light on forgotten aspects of Victorian and Edwardian politics and society.
His story encompasses the Imperial climax of Queen Victoria's reign; the history of the West African parts of the British Empire; the age of coal, iron and steam railways; and the Great War and its economic and social legacy.

About the Author:
Martin Gibson was born and brought up in rural north Lancashire. He studied history at New College, Oxford, and after graduating, read law at The City University, London. He qualified as a barrister in 1990 and then practised from commercial chambers in Gray's Inn, London.
Servant of Empire, the biography of his great-grandfather, is his first book. The author's maternal grandfather Edmund John - always known as 'Jack' - was Thomas Wilson Bracken's second son.

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