TWO authors will hold a launch event to present their new book, Prolonging the Agony, which they say addresses the "lies and propaganda" surrounding The Great War.

The text from Jim Macgregor, a former Alloa GP, and Gerry Docherty has just been released by Trine Day Publishing in the United States.

The writers argue the war was deliberately prolonged by rich and powerful individuals in London and New York, who made billions from the conflict.

It follows on from their first book, Hidden History: The Secret Origins of the First World War, which has been translated and published in France and Germany where it is already in a second reprint.

The new piece, which will also be distributed by the authors' German publishers, is the product of 10 years research and includes details from cabinet papers, secret government reports now in the National Archives at Kew Gardens, the Bodleian Library at Oxford, The Library of Congress in America and more.

Its release comes just ahead of the 100-year anniversary marking the end of the hostilities later this year.

Gerry said: "Book one was about the causes of the war. The second book, Prolonging the Agony, is about the war years and how war was manipulated and extended well beyond where it might have been – it might have been ended much earlier.

"And it looks at a whole range of propaganda and lies, manipulations that went on which of course were never reported initially, but which we have learned about because over the years more and more official secrets, official documents from archives in Britain and in America have been opened up."

For Jim, the historical interest began as a youngster growing up at Erskine Hospital, a place for those disabled in the war.

His father was wounded in the Second World War and lived in a cottage on the grounds with his family, which saw young Jim visiting the wards and running errands for the men, some who had been there since The Great War decades before.

He said: "I've had a lifelong interest since and I've been doing a lot of research and reading on it over the years, all the usual mainstream histories and I believed all the usual stories."

However, as he started digging he found the narrative didn't make sense.

When he retired early he was able to devote his time to researching and approached Gerry.

He said neither of them are "conspiracy theorists", just ordinary guys who have uncovered something that is "quite astonishing".

He added: "The war should have ended before the spring of 1915...and [contained in] our second book, Prolonging the Agony, there's about 500 pages of absolutely solid evidence proving that and how they actually prolonged it.

"They were making absolute fortunes from it, billions and billions."

Jim and Gerry will present a launch of their book, which will be available at all the usual outlets, at the Inglewood Hotel and Spa on Wednesday, April 4, at 7.30pm.

They will give a brief talk on some of the issues and respond to questions; a limited number of discounted books will be available.