WW1 book success not expected 'in a million years'
A retired GP, who wrote a novel based on his grandfather's experiences in World War One, has had unexpected success.
Dr David John, from Winscombe in Somerset, was inspired by a conversation with his grandfather, Emrys John, shortly before Alzheimer's took hold.
Harriet's Eternal Tears, centres on Emrys' mother Harriet John, who was an anti-war activist.
"Not in a million years did I expect it to do this well," said Dr John, who is donating all proceeds to the veterans' mental health charity, Combat Stress.
Dr John grew up hearing family anecdotes about the war, most of which he said he never believed.
"Just before retiring I actually researched and found that a lot of it was true, in fact, all of it was true."
The story is an uplifting and emotional tale of a mother's love and loss during WW1, when her two sons, David and Emrys, set out to face the dangers of conflict.
Dr John said that although he took some creative licence with the story, 95% of the narrative is based on real people from his family history.
Harriet John lost her eldest son, David, the author's namesake, when he was killed fighting at Mametz Wood in 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.
Her second son, Emrys, who was only 16 when he enlisted, joined the 11th Corps, Cyclist Battalion, and became a prisoner of war after being captured in northern France.
"Almost the whole of the battalion was either killed or captured at the Battle of the Lys, and my grandfather was imprisoned at the German POW camp, nicknamed the Black Hole of Lille," said Dr John.
It was on a trip to France for the centenary of the battle that Dr John decided to write Harriet's Eternal Tears to immortalise their stories.
One anecdote referred to his great grandmother, Harriet, refusing the gift of a watch that was offered to mothers whose sons had died fighting.
She thought the money should have been spent on trying to get the troops home after the war.
"I didn't believe it at the time, but on discovering it was true, it was just such a fantastic story that it played into my hands completely," he added.
The book is the first novel that Dr John has written.
"I always said that after I retired as a doctor I would write a novel and nobody believed me.
"I started trying to learn how to write about five years ago, which is very difficult compared with writing medical journals," he told BBC Somerset.
Harriet's Eternal Tears has now featured in a list of popular 20th Century Historical Fiction, and reached number one in an Australian bestseller list for the genre.
All profits will be given to Combat Stress, which looks after military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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