A VALE villager has realised a lifelong dream by publishing a book of memoirs exploring the experiences of his cousin as a prisoner or war.

Peter Jesson, of Bishampton, always wanted to make the memories of his cousin Lieutenant Desmond Mulholland of the Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry, into a book for others to experience.

Now the 69-year-old former police officer and construction industry worker has done just that.

No News from Guernsey relays the story of Lt Mulholland, a qualified barrister and a resident of Guernsey, who was sent with a colleague to carry out a reconnaissance of the island in July 1940 on the orders of Sir Winston Churchill.

Together with Lieutenant Philip Martel of the Hampshire Regiment, they arrived off the south coast of Guernsey in a submarine.

But after three weeks of hiding from the occupying forces they were forced to give themselves up to the Germans.

Lt Mulholland was sent to the first of many prisoner of war camps where he spent the next four and a half years in Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia. His mother suffered the same fate for hiding him.

During this time he kept a diary of his experiences and this forms the basis of the book which Mr Jesson has written.

Mr Jesson said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to have finished the book and am looking forward to launching it in May. It took about four years to write including the time spent researching.

"The hand-written diary came into my possession when my father died and I really wanted to share it. I hope it will interest people who find this period of history as fascinating as I do."

He is launching the book on Friday, May 2, at the German Occupation Museum on Guernsey, after which it will be available to buy from good bookshops or by emailing peter.jesson@hotmail.co.uk.