Book of war, silence and Mickey Roony
And now the colourful life of the Newton Ferrers resident has been immortalised in a new book by his granddaughter and author Lynda Franklin.
Originally from Scotland, John started out his career as a humble soldier with the King's Own Scottish Borderers in 1906.
Blown up in the trenches during World War One, John was also exposed to deadly gas which developed into cancer of the larynx.
Barely able to swallow a teaspoon of water following his landmark operation at Edinburgh Castle in 1924, he was labelled a mute but soon taught himself to speak.
His pioneering method served as a blueprint for all future laryngectomy patients throughout the world.
John was given just six months to live but went on to become the longest-surviving recipient of a laryngectomy in the world.
He died in 1979 – 55 years from the date of the operation – and subsequently entered the Guinness Book of Records.
He moved to Newton Ferrers in 1924 with his wife Winifred.
Unable to fight during World War Two, he and Winifred instead opened up their picturesque cottage, Glen Cot, as a home from home for more than 70,000 service personnel from all over the world, for whom there were no facilities locally.
One of the visitors was the American film actor – and later Oscar- winner – Mickey Rooney who was working in Europe entertaining on the armed forces radio station as part of the American Forces Network.
"They came from bases far and near," said Lynda, who was born in Glen Cot in 1949.
Sadly, John and Winifred's only son, Donald, was killed in September 1944 while serving with the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards in France, aged only 22. His name appears on the village's memorial cross.
"This only reinforced the couple's efforts to give every visitor through their doors a wonderful welcome and some good home cooking," Lynda explained. "A penny for a bun and a penny for a cup of tea and soon, Winifred was making up to 600 apple pies a week.
"They never turned anyone away, only too aware that for some, it would be their last taste of home life."
Their guests filled many visitors' books with poems, sketches, observations, cartoons and little homilies, with three volumes of these surviving to this day.
From these books, boxes of tatty papers and aged yellowed photographs, Lynda has written the book Soft Words Butter No Parsnips: The Life and Times of John Iliffe Poole 1889-1979.
"It's just really nice to honour him and all those unsung heroes who passed through in this way," added Lynda, who now lives in Dorset.
"Throughout his long life he battled and fought, and this is the story of how an ordinary man became extraordinary and managed to survive all the odds."
To celebrate the launch of the book on Monday, Lynda is hosting a short illustrated talk and question and answer session tomorrow evening.
The free event talk will take place at the WI Community Hall on the Green in Newton Ferrers.
It starts at 7pm and is scheduled to end at 9pm.
Soft Words Butter No Parsnips: The Life and Times of John Iliffe Poole 1889-1979 will be available from most leading bookshops priced at £15.99.
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