First world war veterans in Devon pub led to Michael Morpurgo's War Horse

Author reveals that fireside conversations at the Duke of York in Iddesleigh inspired him to write his bestselling novel

Fireside conversations with first world war veterans, some speaking of their experiences for the first time, in the pub of a tiny Devon village inspired Michael Morpurgo to write War Horse, his bestselling novel which has become a much garlanded play, the author reveals in today's Guardian Review.

The origins of the book lie in stories Morpurgo was told when he moved to Iddesleigh and the Duke of York became his local. Born in 1943, until then his knowledge of the war was largely confined to its poetry, including the work of his Belgian grandfather Emile Cammaerts.

Continue reading...