Book readings/speaking engagements - marking Remembrance Day…

Readings from Foot Soldier Sam Sutcliffe's Nobody Of Any Importance: A Foot Soldier's Memoir Of World War 1 given by his son, Phil

Sam Sutcliffe, May 1919, post Gallipoli, 
Somme, Arras 1918, POW months, aged 20.

Sam's lad Phil, um, not long
ago. Thanks and © Pete Jenkins

Forthcoming readings 2020 

SORRY, THE LAST ONE – LINCOLN – WENT DOWN BECAUSE OF THE COVID RESURGENCE AND THE RULE OF SIX SO… PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR
READINGS, REARRANGED (INCLUDING LINCOLN ALREADY!) OR NEW, BOOKED FOR 2021 – WELL, THEY CAN'T SHOOT YOU FOR HOPING...
TIN HAT OVER THE EARS, AS FOOTSOLDIERSAM WOULD SAY FROM HIS EXPERIENCE OF GETTING THROUGH TRICKY TIMES!

All the best, Phil pp my dad, Sam

 

FOOT SOLDIER SAM WW1 MEMOIR READINGS — "NOBODY OF ANY IMPORTANCE" Excerpts from my father Sam Sutcliffe's WW1 frontline experiences – Gallipoli, the Somme, Arras '18 (the battle against the Spring Offensive)… plus before that the impoverished London childhood that made the Tommy, volunteering at 16 in September, 1914, training in Malta… and after that March 28 Arras battle Sam's eight months as a POW, Armistice and his long walk home, rcovery in various hospitals, his return home and one Tommy's aftermath through to the July, 1919, Peace parade. Every word from Sam's wonderfully vivid and detailed memory and his own pen…

I hope it's not too optimistic to say I'll be glad to do readings more or less anywhere in the UK next year (2021 I mean). Sam does requests, so you can have an overview from his entire Memoir, or more concentrated excerpts on Gallipoli, the Somme, Sam's 1918-19 or any combination thereof. No fee, but I sell paperback copies of Nobody Of Any Importance and all proceeds from Sam's writings go to the British Red Cross (£6 per copy on the paperback) plus every penny from sales of the e-book and e-excerpts on Gallipoli, the Somme and Arras/1918-19, available via this blog, all details  http://footsoldiersam.blogspot.co.uk/p/books-available.html )

See below for details on how to book FSS readings…

And then next…

2021
 * January 8 Lancashire & Cheshire WFA, Stockport (chair Ralph Lomas tells me this will go ahead by Zoom if reality lets us down – not ideal of course, but better than a kick in the nether regions!)

* February 10 Heart Of England WFA, Warwick

* March 22 Lincoln & North Lincolnshire WFA, Lincoln 

* May 28 Devon & Cornwall WFA, Newton Abbott (Corona-deferred return visit!)

* June 18 Milton Keynes WFA, Milton Keynes
… more details nearer the time. (Also see https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/branches/ )

 

* August 21 Birmingham WFA, Sutton Coldfield 

… Corona casualties waiting to be rearranged so far (writing on September 15): Wolverhampton, Kent (North West), Middlesex, Burnley… and otherwise open to offers!

BOOK A FOOT SOLDIER SAM SUTCLIFFE READING …
The above leaves rather a lot of unreading days as, despite present difficulties, the Remembrance movement plans its future programmes of events for 2021 (when we hope to be free at last!)...

So here's Phil and Sam's pitch to whomever might like a good talking to as we all together insist that "We will remember them" will not fade into "Oh forget it"...…

Foot Soldier Sam's World War 1 in his own words: Lance Corporal Signaller Sam Sutcliffe's son and editor Phil reads excerpts from his father's story of World War 1. The Memoir covers childhood through to volunteering at 16, then front-line eye-witnessing Gallipoli, the Somme, the Spring Offensive, and his months as a POW through to Armistice and the Peace celebrations of July, 1919 – when he was just 21.

Sam meets the Chelsea Pensioners. Pic by
Lance Bolton of Royal Chelsea Hospital ©️2016.

Phil is happy to talk about the remarkable man he called "Dad", how the Memoir was written, and encourage audience members to discuss any aspect of WW1 – or any war – especially their own stories of family members caught up in such conflicts and how it has affected their own lives.

The readings are free•, their purpose to record the essence of a First World War Tommy's experience, ensuring it's understood and not forgotten. Paperbacks of the Memoir will be available to buy at all readings. All proceeds from Sam's writings in all formats go to the British Red Cross (paperback £10, £4 print costs, so £6 to the Red Cross - £4,598.04 raised as of November 1, 2019).
• Except if you're miles away from London I'll ask for my fare! And donations to the Red Cross to supplement proceeds from books sales are always welcome of course, but entirely up to you…

Email philsutcliffe47@gmail.com or phone 020 8674 9397 to discuss bookings.

Foot Soldier Sam's road trips so far:
Readings 2015
* Walthamstow, London
* St Leonard's, Sussex
* Primrose Hill, London
* Gloucester and as duo with Kelsey Thornton, expert on WW1 poet Ivor Gurney
* Newcastle (with Phil and Ivor again)

Readings 2016
* "Chelsea Pensioners", London
* King's College, London seminar with four speakers, including Phil pp Sam relating excerpts from Nobody Of Any Importance to the work of World War 1's best-known front-line poet Wilfred Owen on the theme Patriotism And 'The Great Game'

Readings 2017
* London East Western Front Association WW1 open day at St Mary's Church, Walthamstow, September
* Ox & Bucks Western Front Association September meeting, Chalfont St Giles, October
* Abergavenny Library, October
* London East Western Front Association, Walthamstow, November

Readings 2018
* Essex Western Front Association, Hornchurch, April. This event sadly turned out to be in memory of Bill Fulton of Essex WFA and Malcolm Doolin of Walthamstow (London East) WFA who both died quite suddenly in the couple of weeks before the reading. Both much missed by everybody who knew them and the whole WW1 Remembrance movement.
* London Central Western Front Association, Waterloo, May.
* London East Western Front Association WW1 open day at St Mary's Church, Walthamstow, September.
* Wiltshire Western Front Association, Highworth near Swindon, October.
* Surrey Western Front Association, Cobham, November.

Readings 2019
* Norfolk Western Front Association, Norwich, January.
* Northamptonshire Western Front Association, April.
* Tyneside Western Front Association, June.
* Wales (Gwent) and Devon & Cornwall Western Front Associations, September.
* Worcester & Herefordshire Western Front Association, November.

Readings 2020
* Kent East Western Front Association, Canterbury, January.
* Cheltenham & Gloucester Western Front Association, February. 
* Spalding & South Lincs Western Front Association, February…

The Norwich WFA reading, January, 2019, kind hospitality and a pic
kindly offered free to FootSoldierSam by a proper
photographer, namely © Peter Smith.

A brief history of Sam's son, Phil: 72, a Londoner, has been a  journalist all his working life, freelance mostly, writing about music – articles listed here – sport and many other interesting matters. Outlets have included Mojo, Q, Los Angeles Times, Total Sport, Sounds, Smash Hits, Time Out. He also wrote books about The Police, AC/DC, and Queen, before latterly turning to editing and publishing Sam's Memoir. Bruce Springsteen multi-tome always on the go.

Phil seeing eye to eye with Sam outside Abergavenny
Library before the October, 1917 reading.
Pic by Phil's wife Gay Lee.
…

Poster for a run of reading gigs
– designed by Hina Pandya.