 He was a burly woodsman who had always lived in the Fens, and could communicate after a fashion with the local wildlife, for whom he acted as protector.The strip initially featured humorous stories about the attempts of Knocker Reeves – the worst of the 'monsters' – to get the better of the new teacher.But eventually it transpired that Patchman was secretly the guardian of a collection of relics left behind by Hereward the Wake, a warlord who had fought the Norman invaders in the Fens during the 11th Century.