 Henry Williamson's classic novel 'Tarka the Otter', first published in 1927, superbly captures the wonderful countryside and wildlife of North Devon and Exmoor. Yet few who read it realise that it is based on real locations that still exist, and remain for the most part, largely unchanged today! Henry Williamson was born in Brockley, southeast London and attended Colfe's School. The then semi-rural location provided easy access to the Kent countryside, and he developed a deep love of nature throughout his childhood. He acknowledged his debt to the nineteenth century English nature author Richard Jefferies whose novel "Bevis: The Story Of A Boy" Williamson read and loved.
In January 1914, he enlisted in the army, and after war was declared, he was mobilised on August 5th 1914. The Christmas truce of 1914 affected him greatly. He became disgusted with the pointlessness of the war and was angry at the greed and bigotry he saw as causing it. He became determined that Germany and Britain should never go to war again.
He told of his war experiences in The Wet Flanders Plain (1929), The Patriot's Progress (1930) and in many of his books in the semi-autobiographical 15-book series A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight (1951-1969).
 After the war, he read Richard Jefferies' book The Story of My Heart. This inspired him to begin writing seriously. In 1921, he moved to Georgeham, Devon, living in a small cottage. He married Ida Loetitia Hibbert in 1925. Together they had six children.
In 1927, Williamson published his most acclaimed book, Tarka the Otter. The book won the Hawthornden Prize. It also sparked a long running friendship with T. E. Lawrence.
In 1935, Henry Williamson visited the National Socialist Congress at Nuremberg and was greatly impressed, particularly with the Hitler Youth movement. He subsequently joined Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists in 1937.
In 1936, he bought a farm in Norfolk and became a farmer. The Story of a Norfolk Farm is based on his experiences.
At the start of World War II, Williamson was briefly held under Defence Regulation 18B for his well known political views but was released after only a weekend in police custody. After the war, the family left the farm. In 1946, Williamson went to live in Devon alone and in 1947 Henry and Loetitia divorced.
 Williamson fell in love with a young teacher, Christine Duffield and they were married in 1949. He began to write his great series of fifteen novels collectively known as A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight. From 1951-1969 he produced almost one novel a year. This put great strain on his marriage and, in 1968, they were divorced after years of separation.
In 1974, he began working on a script for a film treatment of Tarka the Otter but it was not regarded as suitable to film. Filming for the movie went on unknown to him. The movie, narrated by Peter Ustinov was released in 1979. On his eightieth birthday, he hoped for some honour from the British government. Bitterly disappointed, his health began failing rapidly. Suffering from senile dementia, he died on August 13th, 1977 (by a coincidence the very day that the death of Tarka was being filmed), and was buried in the churchyard of Georgeham. In 1980, the Henry Williamson Society was founded.
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