TEN years ago Paul Roberts discovered how his great great grandfather had broken records, leading him into a story that has linked people all over the country, many of whom did not know about the others, a story that is still growing.
Paul found that his great great grandfather was the only man who had 30 grandsons fight in World War One.
The book Paul has written about his great grandfather and his family is among the 20 being promoted by the National Archives, the only one not printed by a big publishing firm.
The first run, launched early this year, has sold out, is having a second print run this year, with a revised edition coming out next year in hardback.
It was a chance finding at Witheridge, of an old newspaper picture more than 10 years ago, that led to this book, "History Maker: John Roberts - the man with 30 grandsons in the Great War".
John and his wife Mary had 15 children, almost 100 grandchildren but seven never came back from World War One.
Paul was intrigued by that old photograph in the newspaper, the man shared the same surname and reminded him of his own father.
He was astonished to find he was his great great grandfather.
Paul’s own grandfather, George Burnett Roberts was one of John Roberts’ grandchildren to go to war.
He survived, living at Newton St Cyres for many years.
Of the 956,000 British servicemen who died between 1914 and 1918, more than 11,600 were from Devon.
Paul had checked to see if anyone had more grandsons who served in that war and could only find 84 years-old Elizabeth Spratt of Erdington, Birmingham who had 27 grandsons and grandsons-in-law serving in the Army, but none with 30 or more.
In the book Paul explains how he saw the picture of his great great grandfather in the Witheridge Historical Archive. Paul’s father was the Syd Roberts who lived on Greenway in Crediton and grew magnificent dahlias in his retirement.
On Saturday afternoon (October 13) descendants of six of the children of John and Mary Roberts were among those at the reunion, hopefully the first of many.
Paul said how the idea for a reunion was born after he had given a talk at Thorverton in February about Archie Roberts, one of the grandsons who went to war.
He had met Archie’s son Michael and granddaughter Lynn for the first time. It was Lynn who had suggested a get-together of the family of John Roberts.
"I can hardly believe it is actually happening today," said Paul. "And it is so appropriate it is in Zeal Monachorum because Zeal has its own record from the Great War - that of having the greatest percentage of villagers serving King and country of any community in the country.
"Of the 200 people living here between 1914 and 1918, 75 of its men served in the war, at least 19 of whom never came back."
Represented at the reunion were descendants of six of the children of John Roberts and his wife Mary Couch.
Among them were the daughters of Frank Roberts of Witheridge, the daughter of Archie Roberts of Sandford and the son of the Archie Roberts of Thorverton.
There were also the families of 10 of the grandsons who went to war. The gathering included people from Wales, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, London, East Sussex, Cornwall and many parts of Devon and the South West.
Paul said that a large family tree was in progress, asking people to add if they had anything new. There were many photographs and memorabilia to view.
Part of the money received for the buffet and that from the raffle went to St Margaret’s Hospice in memory of Paul’s wife, Jenny.
Paul said : "Today is extraordinary because when I wrote the book I thought that was the end of a journey but the book has taken on a life of its own since it was published and put me in touch with so many people I did not know existed.
"It has brought new life into the project. I want to do workshops about how to do research and would love to do that with schools, however it is hard to get to them, but there might be a history group or similar.
"All the money from the book goes to the Hospice charity in memory of my wife. This is not about money; it is about awareness about something that is forgotten, about ordinary men who went to war and achieved extraordinary things. For every one of these stories there are others in Devon that have not been told.
"If I can do this maybe more people can. I have found some graves in France and I have broken down in tears.
"Relatives can talk about what Dad was like, this is the start of something much bigger.
"The National Archives are promoting 20 books and one is mine, ‘History Maker’, and the rest are printed by the ’big boys’. My wife died of cancer five years ago and I struggled, this book has given me a life."
Paul was giving a talk at Chulmleigh this week and has more talks booked.
On "Facebook" this week Paul wrote: "Almost 150 people attended, many more than I expected. And it raised more than £500 for St Margaret’s Hospice in memory of my wife, Jenny.
"A son and four daughters of three of the men who fought in the Great War were there - Vera and Ivy Bucknell, Marjorie Conibere and Michael and Edna Roberts.
"A nephew of Sam Roberts - Gerald Roberts, of Exmouth - arrived with the first picture I have seen of his uncle in World War One uniform. Sam survived being shot in the chest in 1914 and was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
"Grandchildren of John Roberts’ youngest son, Sidney came with a remarkable picture showing (I believe), Sidney with his brother Thomas and their father - the great man himself, John Roberts.
"I was thrilled to see many new great-nieces and my own grandson, Conrad. Also there was my great niece Charlotte, who has recently told her school about John Roberts and his grandsons who went to war.
"It was incredible to see so many people at the reunion. I was almost lost for words when I saw everyone gathered in the big function room at the Waie Inn.
"I plan to hold a second reunion at the Waie in early October next year (2019). The revised version of History Maker will have been published by then.
"Perhaps the theme for the second reunion will be the great women of the Roberts family - the mothers, the wives, the daughters, the innovators."