IT is no secret that many great wordsmiths use their own memories and experiences of life as an ideas bank for their work.

When it comes to life experiences, one Stogursey poet is certain to have more than most.

Paul Anthony Tipney was born in Wells in 1926 and went to The Blue School before joining the Fleet Air Arm branch of the Royal Navy.

Paul, recalling his early years, said: “I was supposed to go to Reading University but I was held back and told to be a student of farming.

“After three years in the Navy you’re not the same person anymore.

I went in as a boy and came out as a man.”

Paul, now aged 89, was a telegraphist and air gunner and trained to fly the Fairey torpedo bomber biplane in the Second World War.

He’s also a member of the select group, the Goldfish Club – a worldwide association of people who have either jumped by parachute from an aircraft into the sea or whose aircraft crashed in the water.

In 1947 he left the Fleet Air Arm in search of a new career and stumbled into the world of farming in the West Country.

He said: “I was a farm bailiff and farm manager all over Somerset and Dorset.

“Farming was something I was very fond of and it was a true vocation in those days.

“I didn’t ever stay long in one place because I had a bit of a short temper in those days.

“I really enjoyed my time in farming, though, especially being a herdsman when I milked Ayrshire and Guernsey cows.

“It was a time when boys as young as ten were required to do a man’s work.”

At the age of 58, Paul took up running and completed an incredible five London marathons, several halfmarathon and some cross-country races to boot.

“I loved my running. I started running at 58 and then went on to do triathlons when I was 68 before giving it all up at the age of 83.”

Paul has drawn on his incredible life and written around 300 poems over the past 30 years.

In December last year, he had his first anthology, titled Thoughts of a Countryman, published which is bursting with 100 inspired poems.

The book is dedicated to his wife, Betty, in their 66th year of marriage, as well as his five children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandsons.

“My inspiration for the poems is drawn from all areas of my life but particularly farming.

“I have a good knowledge of people and dealing with all sorts of characters.

“The poems are going very well and I’ve done all the writing, editing and promotion myself.

“I have been extremely pleased with how it’s gone so far – it is a great thrill for me.

“People ask me how long it takes me to write one of my poems.

“I say, ‘It takes me about five minutes to write one down but about ten years to think of one’.

“I always had been interested in poetry and I was a founding member of the Bridgwater U3A.

“We had some very good poets in that group and would share our work as well as have lectures and studies of a great number of poets.”

Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News:

A YOUNG Paul Tipney (centre) during his days in the Fleet Air Arm.

There’s no sign of Paul the poet slowing down in his later years with plans to bring out a second book this year.

“I’ve written about 300 poems and I’ll look to publish a second book this year, probably to be called More Thoughts of a Countryman.”

His varied life is reflected in the poetry he produces, with those that are easy to read and understand, while others are more thought-provoking.

Then there are the real gems which may, on first read, seem simplistic but read them a second time and you might uncover a deeper meaning.

It is this kind of ‘treasure hunt’ poetry that makes Paul’s work such a joy to read.

“I have one or two poems that have a different meaning and it’s not actually talking about the subject that you think you are reading.

“For example, with The Last Time, you think it’s all about football but it’s actually about scoring and there’s a clue.”

There’s also a fair portion of humour in his words and love, and relationships are themes that feature regularly.

His poem titled Say Sorry (featured above), which he can recite from memory, is a classic example of this.

“It’s a really funny one about a lovers’ quarrel where one is in the right and the other is in the wrong.

“That’s the way I write poems – truth.

“It’s the truth of the situation.”