Books
My latest book . . . History Maker
The second, special hardback edition of History Maker – revealing the story of my great-great grandfather John Roberts and his 30 grandsons who served in the Great War. It is available at:
The National Archives’ Bookshop
History Maker: The Man with 30 Grandsons in the Great War – The National Archives Shop
The Tourist Information Centre, Tiverton Museum of Mid Devon Life
Beck’s Square, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6PJ (T 01884 256295)
NOTE: All proceeds from books sold at the museum will go to the museum
John Wilkinson’s book stall at South Molton Pannier Market
Open Thursdays and Saturdays, 8.30am-1pm
Liznojan Independent Bookshop
25 Gold Street, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6QB
History Maker headlines
Express Newspapers
One grandfather… and 30 WW1 heroes
British Newspaper Archive
A remarkable Great War story revealed – with the help of the British Newspaper Archive
Great War Forum
The power of the Great War Forum: How it helped me to complete a book about my great-great-grandfather, who had 30 grandsons serving King and country in the Great War
Crediton Courier
Told for the first time – a remarkable Great War story about one local family
Devon Live
The extraordinary story of a retired Devon farm worker who had 30 grandsons serving in the Great War
My family history research
A-Z of my family at war
This unique, eight-volume A-Z reveals how more than 500 members of my family fought and died at war. It gives a detailed insight into the men and women of the Roberts and Arscott families who served in the two world wars and the Second Boer War.
Headlines . . .
Revealed – how 350 members of one Devon family served in three wars
Four centuries of the Roberts family
A comprehensive history of my father’s ancestors in rural Devon dating back to 1602. Spanning ten generations, it includes many never-before-published pictures and stories of great heroism, tragedy and controversy.
Three centuries of the Arscott family
The most detailed history ever produced of my mother’s ancestors in Devon dating back to 1714. Spanning seven generations, it reveals heroes of war, child victims of one of the greatest tragedies of the 21st century and links to some of the county’s greatest aristocratic families.
Aberfan – my family tragedy
A special report on two of my cousins, aged just eight and nine, who were among the 116 children killed in the 1966 disaster.
Jane Arscott’s extraordinary connection to Australian ‘royalty’ and Winston Churchill
How the son of Jane Arscott, my great-great-great-great aunt, became a pioneer settler in New South Wales in Victorian times – and the marriage that connected Jane’s grandson to Britain’s greatest ever Prime Minister.
James Arscott – a hero of Trafalgar
How the Teignmouth-born sailor fought with Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 – in a ship which would save HMS Victory from catastrophe and be forever remembered in one of Britain’s favourite paintings.
The Porlock Murder
The dramatic story of a man connected to my family who was hanged for murder in 1914 after fatally shooting his neighbour in the Somerset coastal village.
Note: The photograph on the cover of the Jane Arscott special report is a Public Domain image showing Lady Randolph Churchill with her two sons, John and Winston, 1889 (author unknown, Wikimedia Commons)
