ALMOST five years ago Glenn Gilbertson of Bow, near Crediton, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the spine.

The outlook was bleak as he embarked on the gruelling course of treatment which, coupled with the condition, rendered him more or less immobile for months.

Unable to drive, walk any distance or undertake even everyday tasks, Glenn decided to turn the situation to good advantage by embarking on writing about his fascinating life initially with the Metropolitan police in London and then in policing roles all over the world.

Calling himself Dogberry after the bumbling Constable in Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”, Glenn had modest ambitions for his work.

“I imagined it would interest and even perhaps amuse my family,” says Glenn.

“Then a friend suggested they use these short articles in the local parish magazine, The Colebrooke Bell.”

Dogberry soon had an enthusiastic following of readers and when the series had been running every month for two years, with no sign of his amusing and enthralling material running out, Mrs Dogberry suggested he should put them together in a book.

The result is “Dogberry’s Lantern”, published by Troubador and available online through Amazon, Waterstones and W.H. Smith, and in local bookshops including The Bookery in Crediton High Street, at £12.99.

His writing is as entertaining to readers with no interest, or less, in police activities as the following excerpt demonstrates about a Bulgarian diplomat with whom Dogberry had the pleasure of working.

“In his office was a large dome-topped bird cage wherein lived an ancient red, green and black parrot with an unpronounceable Bulgarian name so let’s call her Polly.

“Like all talking birds she had a wide vocabulary of obscenities but her favourite was in response to the office front-door bell when she would shout out ‘Closed. Come tomorrow’ in rather nasal English or ‘Poshel von!’ (Go away!) in Russian.

“Polly lived on a constant supply of nuts, which she shelled leaving the debris over the floor, fruit and crackers which she would steal from desks but her main source of protein was the fingers of anyone silly enough to try to tickle her under the chin.”

With outstanding care by the NHS and “sheer bloody determination”, Glenn is now able to lead a busy life and will be doing book signings to launch this absorbing account of his career.