Join us on Saturday 29th October, 2-5pm, in the Bethesda Chapel, Park Street, Hawkesbury Upton for a fascinating and moving afternoon of talks about the impact of World War, with guest speakers from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Ukraine, plus five authors of fiction and non-fiction inspired and informed by the First and Second World Wars, in the run-up to Remembrance Day.
The ticket price of £5 includes coffee, tea, cakes and biscuits, plus a £2 discount voucher valid against a book bought at the event.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Capacity of our beautiful historic venue is limited, so advance booking is essential to avoid disappointment.
ADVANCE BOOKING REQUIRED – BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE!
This event is kindly sponsored by Hawkesbury Parish News
The Programme & Speakers
The keynote address on the impact of World War will be made by Simon Bendry, now Head of Education and Engagement at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Bringing our conversation into the 21st century, Svitlana Rotayenko, who works for NATO, will speak on the context and effect of the current war in her home country, Ukraine.
Lucienne Boyce, author of The Bristol Suffragettes, will answer the question “To what extent did the First World War play a part in bringing universal suffrage to women in the UK?”
Nigel Messenger, who has done extensive voluntary work with the Royal British Legion, will talk about his fact-based novel, The MichMash Miracles, set in two different eras, about an extraordinary case of First World War battle won using techniques learned from an Old Testament story.
Also blending fact with fiction, Hawkesbury author Will Fenn (aka Bill Fairney), will talk about the inspiration for his novel Uncle Walter’s Secret, a story of espionage.
Addressing the impact of the Second World War on civilians, and in particular on women, will be two best-selling historical novelists, Clare Flynn, whose The Chalky Sea is set in Eastbourne, and Lizzie Lane, whose Tobacco Girls series features workers at the famous Wills tobacco factory in Bristol.
There will follow ample time for questions for the audience, after which the authors will be pleased to sign and sell copies of books and to chat informally to members of the audience over coffee and cake.
Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival 