Andrew Lucas was born in 1975 and grew up in Ramsgate on the Kent coast. His maternal grandmother is Saxon, and Andrew was brought up with German family traditions as well as his father's passion for history. His interest in the German experience of the First World War was fired by family photos of his Great-Grandfather Arno Bierast at the front as a war volunteer with 4. Kgl. Sächs. Feldartillerie-Regiment Nr.48 (from Dresden), and by his grandmother's memories of her father. Andrew's research led him to study German sources, and to collect original photos and postcards from the regiment and other Saxon units.
He met Jürgen on a popular online auction website in 2008, beginning the voluminous, illuminating and increasingly friendly correspondence which ultimately led to this book. The two collaborated on research for Andrew's father's book The Journey's End Battalion, followed by a series of articles for Stand To! leading to a book deal which resulted in Fighting the Kaiser's War and later For King and Kaiser.
In addition to his writing, Andrew is active in the WW1 living history scene, representing his 'family regiment' FAR 48 as part of the 1914-21 Society. Since late 2024 he has also started to get involved in educational living history work and battlefield guiding. He is a member of the Western Front Association and a contributor to its journal Stand To!