Guildford octogenarian and longtime member of the Guildford U3A, Michael Tanner, has published his first novel, entitled THE FOGOU EPISODE.
It centres on the experiences of two evacuees to a remote part of North Cornwall in the year 1943.
The pair, a boy and girl, both from cities under blitz, find their newly discovered rural tranquillity shattered by a dark menace emerging from the wild moors close by. Rapidly it becomes clear that not only are they in grave personal danger, but must play a vital role in the defence of their own country.
Young readers, their parents, grand parents and even great grand parents will be intrigued in the unfolding of this story. The author has been able to bring to it an intimate understanding of the evacuees and of their immediate families and of the austere period involved. He also reveals a detailed knowledge of the setting and a powerful empathy with the bleak but beautiful moors.
The author was himself an evacuee and later had the experience of active military service in East Africa as a 2nd Lieutenant. Three of his closest relatives, including his father, served in WW1, one not returning from France.