Frederick Forsyth, famed for writing The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File and The Dogs of War, has died at the age of 86.

His writing career began in 1958, when he became an apprentice reporter at the EDP's King's Lynn office.

He joined the paper after leaving the RAF, where he gained his pilot's wings and flew de Haviland Vampire aircraft during his National Service.

Forsyth, who was born in Kent in 1938, was landing in Lynn for the second time, having been evacuated to the town as a young boy.

During the Second World War he was billeted with a man who measured up customers at Goddard's, the tailors.

While he yearned to be a foreign correspondent, a journalist's life at the EDP's office on the High Street saw him turn his hand to more mundane matters, including reporting on the town's magistrates' court, council meetings and local fetes.

Frederick Forsyth, who has passed away at the age of 86 (Image: PA) During an office clear-out in the early 1980s, the initials FF were found inscribed in the news diary against the day's potential stories, including police calls and Hunstanton Town Council.

He was taken under the wing of........

© Eastern Daily Press