Listen to Michael Morpurgo's moving World War 1 story Private Peaceful, abridged in 13 episodes and read by Paul Chequer.
Thomas - 'Tommo' - Peaceful recalls his young life to date: growing up on the country estate owned by the Colonel; family life with his spirited mother and older brothers Charlie and Big Joe; love for Molly; enlisting in the army at the outbreak of war. Then military training, fighting alongside Charlie in the trenches of the Western Front and the events that will bring his narrative to its final painful conclusion.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 1. audio
Private Thomas Peaceful - 'Tommo' - begins the recollection of his short life to date: his school days - shared with his elder brother, Charlie, and their friend, Molly - and the circumstances of his father's death.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 2. audio
Tommo continues his recollection: how the death of his father means that his mother must accept a job at the Big House, which in turn leads to his great aunt Wolf coming to stay.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 3. audio
Tommo remembers how hardship led to poaching on the Colonel's land, the cruelty of 'the Wolfwoman' to their brother, Big Joe...and how Molly fell seriously ill.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 4. audio
Tommo recalls how Charlie and he are caught poaching on the Colonel's land; how Charlie and Molly go to work at the Big House; how one day Tommo sees Charlie and Molly holding hands.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 5. audio
Tommo continues to recall childhood events: another confrontation with the Colonel and his pain at the deepening relationship between Charlie and Molly.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 6. audio
Tommo recalls how one day his brother Big Joe goes missing and how, when he does not return home, the whole village turns out to help with the search.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 7. audio
Tommo recalls how Molly comes to stay with the family and how in the nearby town of Hatherleigh he sees the army recruiting for volunteers. Suddenly the war seems much closer.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 8. audio
Tommo's recollection focuses on his military training alongside Charlie, their journey to France, life under Sergeant 'Horrible' Hanley and punishment for insubordination.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 9. audio
Tommo recalls how Charlie and he are posted to the front line trenches. Once at the Front the brothers are part of a night patrol sent to capture a German prisoner.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 10. audio
Tommy thinks back to the second time he went to the front line at 'Wipers' (Ypres). Charlie is wounded and is delighted at the prospect of going home to recover. But Tommo feels abandoned.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 11. audio
Tommo survives a gas attack and later a letter from home brings news of the new baby. Tommo looks for Anna but discovers that she has been killed. The company go over the top again...
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 12. audio
Tommo is wounded and lying in no-man's-land and the rest of the company are pinned down by enemy fire.
Private Peaceful 鈥 Episode 13. audio
Tommo's recollection of past events ends with his description of his final meeting with Charlie. Then, at one minute to six, the past becomes the present and Tommo's story moves to its painful conclusion.
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Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Michael Morpurgo was born in 1943. He went to school in London, Sussex and Kent and later to the University of London where he studied English and French. He became a primary school teacher and it was during his time as a teacher that he realised he wanted to be a writer. Michael has described how his class were bored with a story he was sharing with them and how he decided to create something more exciting for them instead.
Michael has gone on to become one of the country鈥檚 best-loved authors of children鈥檚 literature. He was Children鈥檚 Laureate from 2003-2005 and became an OBE in 2006. He has written over 100 books and has won numerous awards, including 鈥楾he Blue Peter Award鈥 for Private Peaceful.
He has said: 鈥楩or me, the greater part of writing is day-dreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches out - the writing down of it I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hand and sharing my dream with my readers.鈥
Michael was born during World War 2 and often writes of the divisions, conflicts and injustices of warfare. His own family was deeply affected by war through the loss of his uncle and the break up of his parents. The theme of war is explored in Michael鈥檚 books Private Peaceful, War Horse and Adolphus Tips.