A LITERARY enthusiast came away with more than he bargained for after bidding for a collection of books at Lawrences Auctioneers in Crewkerne.

Malcolm Welshman, 62, of Roundham, picked up a copy of Siegfried Sassoon's Memoirs Of An Infantry Officer on Wednesday, July 14, and discovered a letter from the First World War poet in-between the pages when he got it home.

The letter is dated March 24, 1965, two years before Sassoon died and is addressed to Major Kenneth Macksey. Mr Welshman believes Maj Macksey lived in the Beaminster area and the book, which the letter was found in, was a gift to him.

He said: "I go to Lawrences quite a bit to see if I can find interesting books like these, but I obviously had no idea this letter would be in one of them."

"It is in very good condition, I think Maj Macksey read the letter but I don't believe he read the book.

"The letter mentions the memoir as well as Dr Dunning who is in the memoir.

"The reference to the futility of war 'all to no purpose' is particularly poignant.

"It all looked genuine to me, but I took it back to Lawrences to be sure and they validated it and gave it a value of around £100."

Mr Welshman, a published author himself, said he was tempted to put the letter up for auction, but decided against after his daughter, Rebecca, 29, protested.

She is currently studying for a PhD at Exeter University in Victorian literature and archeology with special reference to Thomas Hardy and Richard Jefferies.

She feels it should remain in the family as a good luck symbol for future writing successes.

Mr Welshman, became an author after retiring as a vet.

He saw success with his first book, Pets In Prospect in 2007. He has recently been offered a three-book follow-up deal.

He and his wife Maxeen moved to the Crewkerne area in 2006.

Sassoon lived from 1886 to 1967. Memoirs Of An Infantry Officer is a fictionalised account of his own life during and immediately after the war.