TALKS

When thinking about First World War deserters, most people bring to mind those who were shot at dawn and pardoned nearly 100 years later.  But these men were a tiny minority of those who deserted the armed forces during the First World War. This talk looks at the much bigger picture.

The story of Britain's First World War widows remains largely untold.  This talk, based on my book of the same name, explains their important place in history and looks at their experiences as they came to terms with bereavement and poverty.

Procter Brothers can trace their origins back to 1740 in Leeds as a firm producing machine guarding and as their advertising claimed 'Anything in Wire.' This talk looks at 275 years of history for the company and the country showing how world events shaped the firm's progression.

Britain's First World War deserters had to make ends meet once their army pay was stopped.  Some on the home front turned to crime of all levels of seriousness from shoplifting to murder. This talk tells their stories. 

We hear a lot about GI Brides - the many women who emigrated to new lives after marrying US serviceman post 1945. But what about the earlier war? This talk looks at the experiences of Britain's first world war widows trying to make new lives in distant countries. 

The Leeds Times gave this description to a murder that took place in Hunslet in 1840. This talk uses the murder as a lens to look at crime and punishment in Victorian England and our criminal justice system today.

Ireland held a unique position as part of the British Isles during the First World War. It proved an attractive destination for deserters, for reasons which will become clear in this talk.

Lawnswood is one of the finest Victorian cemeteries in Leeds and is full of beautiful monuments and amazing stories. This talk shows how the cemetery tells the story of a city, and a nation.

 This talk explains the role of Procter Brothers in two world wars, from the Western Front to Buckingham Palace and beyond, and also looks at the personal  cost of the conflicts to a firm and a family. 

My fee for 2025 is £60 plus travel expenses at 40p per mile or standard class rail travel.