A LITERARY journey into his family’s past has helped one former porter at Musgrove Park Hospital to write a book for his children.

Mike Lyle, 70, who spent 15 years working at the hospital has self published a book called Tenants of the House, which he hopes will be ‘a literary gift’ to his children and grand children as much as of general interest to everyone else.

Mike has lived in Somerset since 1975, after moving here from the USA where he grew up in the Carolinas.

He has written a story of his family who emigrated to the USA in the 1800s from Scotland but can trace his own lineage back to to the Normans.

Speaking about what the book means to him he said: “It was amazing how much I have remembered and many things I have remembered for the first time since they happened.

“I am recalling things when I was 10, 11 and 14 years old.

“It has been amazing how many historical moments have impacted on my life.”

In the book he recalls living close to the area where they mined components for the first hydrogen bomb, working with illegal Mexican immigrants while in Texas and marching in support of the Civil Rites movement.

Mike said he was aware of racism in the South when he lived there.

He said racism was a real issue and heard stories from people who talked about things they had done as if they were just matter of fact.

Mike left the USA when he was 21-years-old to return to England.

In the following years he was an English teacher teaching GCSE and A Levels at West Somerset Community College in Minehead.

But he suffered a stroke had to give up being a teacher and became a porter at the hospital.

Now in his retirement he has changed tact and has become an author.

His book will be on sale at Waterstones at County Hotel, East Street in Taunton and at Brendon Books in Bath Place.