Talks and Presentations.
I give a range of talks and presentations to groups
including u3a, Family, WI, Military and general history
Societies, Royal British Legion, Writers groups (on techniques
for Historical Fiction), and conferences. I've spoken at many
lunches and dinners for Rotary, Probus and other social clubs.
I'm on the Western Front Association's recognised speaker's list having spoken at many of their meetings at different locations across the country.
I adapt each talk for the audience, some are more historically detailed others lighter, less military, with local content and more discovering family history. Below are a selection that I build the talks around,.
Please email me for more detail. andy.stuart@andystuart.net
1. Armistice Day: Where the Guns didn't stop.
Did WW1 end on the 11th November 1918? There are several other dates that could be chosen.
Here I look at some of the events on Armistice Day up to 11am. I then consider the reality of continuing conflicts where men were still fighting and dying.
Collapsing empires and emerging nations led to legacy conflicts lasting well into the 20th Century. Some argue WW2 was a continuation of another European 'Thirty Year War'. And for some men the guns never stopped.
A popular talk in the Autumn.
2. Churchill's Intervention in the Russian Civil War
In 1918 Britain sent troops to North, East and South Russia. I look into the geopolitics of the time and why so few people know that for thousands of British and other Allied soldiers and volunteers, a very different and terrible war continued in a dangerous environment many miles from home.
Why were they in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution? How did this affect the Western Front? Who were the Czech Legion and Churchill's North Russian Relief Force?
What motivated the volunteers and who emptied the Russian prisons?
This can either be focused on North Russia or Siberia (2 different talks) as there is far too much interesting material for one!.
3. Tall Tales or Real History
We all have family stories that permeate generations and the truth or otherwise gets lost in time. But what if they're true?
'I dropped a jar of mercury at the chemist shop.' - Really Grandad?
'We found a wine cellar. Some bottles had gold nuggets floating in them.' - After you'd drunk a few?
'Shamrock cap-badged Russians.' A bit far from home were they?
'We stole a train to escape the Bolsheviks'. - Was it the 11.15 from Omsk?
In this talk I look into some 'Tall Tales', including a few left with me by previous audience members and see how they look when compared to the real history .......... With some surprising results.
4. Chritsmas at the Front: What was it really like?
The WW1 'Christmas Truce' has become legendary. But for most on active service, it was a rumour from somewhere else. Instead of the 'Truce', this talk looks at some forgotten incidents and the reality of most men's experience. A Royal gift Box, food and drink in the trenches, 'Gunfire Tea' served by the officers. The first aerial bombs on Christmas Eve, the challenge of snow and a great, criminal gambling scam. ...... There was much more to a Great War Christmas than the story of the truce.
5. Unusual Tales from The Great War: Some stories you definately won't have heard.
Inspired by stories from Arthur who enlisted in August 1914 at the age of 16, I started writing during lockdowns. The outcome is a collection of 'Tales from The Great War' in three books. 'A Journey from Boy to Soldier. 1914-1916', 'Is this Forever? 1916-1919', and 'Churchill's Intervention. 1919-1920.'
I take a collection of men from different classes, education, trades and professions through the war. This talk refers to the books by joining fact with fiction and of how the men filled their time to survive.
It wasn't all mud, blood and barbed wire. They gambled, drank, had sweetheart letters. Scammed the system ... and the Americans. Wrote 'satirical rhymes for the Wipers Times', guarded PoW's and manned a firing squad. They retained their humour and humanity, and for some, their prejudices.
Some were taken prisoner by mutinous Bolsheviks, travelled across Russia on a refugee 'plague' train, were lectured by Lenin's wife and met a multi-lingual English Governess with a family carrying a treasure. On return to Britain they were jailed until released by a phone call from Churchill.
The aim of this talk is to look at 'big event' history through the eyes of the men living it.
6. WW1: The Asian Front
Who knew the German's had a Pacific Island Empire? Where we had Hong Kong they had Tsingtao, now famous for its lager style beer. Why is that?
Britain's worst sea defeat for 100 years against the German Pacific Fleet. Fighting with our Japanese allies and the "Battle of the Wireless Mast". We also meet a unique German PoW, examine a Indian Nationalist conspiracy and the Singapore Mutiny.
It really was a 'world war', with much going on far away from the Western Front.
