WIRES ACROSS THE WORLD
A Life That Crossed Four Continents
This is the astonishing true story of Theo Toledano, a man whose life traced the invisible lines of the world’s first global communications network.
Born in Tripoli, educated in Manchester, and sent out across the British Empire as a telegraph engineer, Theo’s destiny carried him to the frontiers of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Java, Borneo and China: places where technology, war and empire collided.
He found heroism during the seven-day siege of Bolinao; rescued the wounded on the shell-torn beaches of Manila; helped build the telegraph networks that connected Asia to the world; received medals from three nations for his courage; a knighthood for his efforts to prevent a revolution and lived through two world wars.
In Shanghai he built a family home; in Florence he built a villa; in England he served in World War II before he finally found a life of peace.
Drawing from letters, photographs, memoirs, and company histories, Wires Across the World is a sweeping reconstruction of a forgotten chapter of global history — and an intimate portrait of a family whose courage, intelligence and resilience carried them across continents and through the storms of the modern age.