THE VILLAGE which inspired the novel 'War Horse' will host a special visit from the life size horse puppet and star of the National Theatre's production today (Thursday), in a celebration event ahead of the its first national tour which starts in Plymouth this month.

'It's a dream come true to bring Joey home,' said author of the book Michael Morpurgo who lives in Iddesleigh itself and who will be joining hundreds of local people and schoolchildren from Hatherleigh this morning to see 'Joey' emerge from the Duke of York pub, accompanied by actor Lee Armstrong who is playing Albert Weeks in the play.

The pub is where Mr Morpurgo originally met one of the three First World War veterans in the 1970s who inspired his novel.

Albert Weeks and members of Mr Weeks family will be attending the event today.

Joey, a complex piece of master puppetry, will be welcomed to Iddesleigh with festive bunting around the village and the sounds of songs from World War One specially performed by the village band.

Following a reading from War Horse by Mr Morpurgo on the village green to the schoolchildren, the band and the youngsters will walk to the war memorial where the 'Last Post' will be played.

The author said: 'Our small village was the original inspiration for War Horse all those years ago and it will be a dream come true to bring Joey home.

'I continue to marvel at the success of the production in the UK and around the world.'

Since the film of War Horse by Steven Spielberg was released in 2011, people have flocked in their droves to the rural West Devon village and it is now home to a War Horse Valley Museum at Parsonage Farm, which has exhibits dedicated to the novel and its characters, as well as housing agricultural machinery and equipment from both the early 20th Century and the modern day, alongside World War One memorabilia and artefacts.

War Horse was first published in Great Britain in 1982 as a novel for children and recounts the experiences of Joey, a horse purchased by the Army for service in World War One, France and the attempts of young Albert, his previous owner, to bring him safely home.

Landlord of the Duke of York John Pittam said it was all very exciting for Iddesleigh, which was being put on the map once again.

'We have had people from America, Australia, New Zealand and Germany here at the pub because of War Horse,' he said.

'It's been a huge production, both for film and the theatre and that's fantastic.

'I think the popularity of this story is because not only is it very good but people have such a great affection for horses.

'It is also a story for all ages and it's wonderful that Joey is coming here first ahead of the production's first national tour.'

The National Theatre's production of War Horse is being staged at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth from September 27 to October 12.