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t's Hallowe’en, the end of the old year as far as I'm concerned, and a thin place between the living and the dead. Tomorrow, we remember all those who have died in the past year. In Mexico, families will celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), sharing picnics at family graves and remembering their ancestors. A lovely tradition, although it's worth remembering that it's a lot warmer in Mexico than it is here in Cornwall! A Quiet Man: The Story of Bernard “Pop” Green MC

According to a rather intriguing genealogy website, I appear to have some decidedly eccentric distant cousins. While researching an ancestor, General Joseph Gardner Swift, I stumbled across a website called Kin of and discovered some unexpected connections in my family tree. By way of explanation, I should mention that, although my dear wife is American, I may actually have more American ancestry than she does! She had four British grandparents, whereas I had an American gran

My wife and I recently travelled back to Buckinghamshire for our wedding anniversary. I was born in the county, so returning always feels a little strange. Familiar places have a way of stirring memories, and sometimes the history hidden beneath the surface is every bit as intriguing as the landscape above it. One of our visits took us to the Hellfire Caves at West Wycombe, a remarkable network of man-made caverns carved into the chalk hills of Buckinghamshire during the eigh

I have spent the last four weeks writing a new book about my grandfather, Bernard “Pop” Green MC. It is complementary to the book I wrote about him fifteen years ago, but it takes a radically different approach. Half of each chapter focuses on the research I have done and the places I have visited that are connected with his extraordinary life and military career: where he was shot down, where he was captured, where he lived, where he fought in the First World War, and where

Early autumn is here, bringing lower temperatures, a little rain and that unmistakable change in the air. It’s my favourite season, and I welcome it. For me, autumn has always been the perfect time for ghost stories, haunted places and tales of the supernatural. In November, I’ll be heading down to Launceston in Cornwall for a couple of days at Black Cat Books, a brilliant independent bookshop selling new and interesting second-hand books. Emily, who owns the shop, previously

Last Tuesday, I was coming out of Totnes Museum after my volunteer hours when I spotted a friend and his wife walking up the hill. I said hello and asked where they were going on holiday. They told me they were heading to Asiago in north-eastern Italy, a beautiful plateau in the foothills of the Alps. Now here’s the extraordinary part. Just the evening before, I had been researching where my grandfather, Major Bernard Green MC, was wounded during the First World War in Octobe

My addiction is… you’ve probably guessed it: reading. I read far more than I probably should - often when I should be doing something more practical, like tidying the garden or working in the churchyard. But books have always been my passion, especially those that explore ghost stories, local history, military history, and the fascinating stories that connect England’s past with the wider world. While I love a good supernatural tale, my reading interests go far beyond ghost s

I recently rediscovered a photograph of a group of friends and me, taken in 1968, when I was in the Upper Sixth at King Edward VI School in Totnes, Devon. It's a wonderful reminder of school days, old friendships, and memories that have stayed with me for more than half a century. I'm the chap hiding in the shadows, looking down behind the pointing finger. As the saying goes, "The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on" - or words to that effect! The chap on my left

I have recently started volunteering every Tuesday morning at Totnes Museum, a fascinating historic building tucked away on Fore Street in the heart of Totnes, Devon. The museum is housed in a beautiful Elizabethan merchant's house, one of the town's oldest surviving buildings. Steeped in centuries of history, it's no surprise that the building has earned a reputation for being haunted. Whether you're interested in local history, Tudor architecture, or ghost stories, Totnes M

For more than twenty years, I have balanced two great writing passions: biography and ghost stories. I am currently researching and writing my second book about my grandfather, the oldest man to escape from Stalag Luft III during the famous Great Escape of 25 March 1944. More than eight decades later, I am still visiting the places he travelled through, uncovering new photographs, and discovering remarkable details about his life and wartime experiences. The working title of

Since 2005, I've written 104 ghost stories - and I love every one of them. Some are mild and atmospheric, others downright nasty, and a few come with a twist that'll catch you off guard. My favourites are the ones where you're never quite sure who the ghost is, where your assumptions get quietly upended. I write on my ancient laptop, a machine so old it might have Charles Babbage engraved on its worn surface. Published Ghost Story Collections I've had three collections publis

...is a fourth collection of ghost stories entitled ‘Night Gaunts and Psychopomps’. H P Lovecraft suffered from nightmares which he described as ‘night gaunts’. He later used the term in some of his stories. His ancestors came from South Devon; their graves can be found at Buckfastleigh, Berry Pomeroy and Broadhempston. I borrow his term as a tribute to his unique talent in disturbing and terrifying his readers. Psychopomps are guides to the afterlife such as Charon the ferry