John Nichol - Blitz : When World War Two Came Home
Join us in the venue for this wonderful event. We will also be live streaming the event, so you also have the option to watch the event online at home.
| Date | Monday 18th May 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 7:30 PM | |
| Doors Open | 7:00 PM | |
| Venue | High Street Baptist Church | |
John joined the Royal Air Force in 1981. On active duty during the first Gulf War his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured and tortured, he was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict.
Since leaving the RAF, John has written a number of Sunday Times Bestsellers; BLITZ is his twentieth book:
Though May 2026 marks the 85th anniversary of the supposed end of the blitz, the assault across Britain lasted for most of the Second World War causing many thousands more deaths. John tells the story afresh using personal testimonies, diaries, and interviews with some of the few living survivors, recounting the full impact of the ‘provincial blitz’ across the nation, targeting the likes of Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool and Bristol. Beginning with a search to understand his mother’s experiences of the blitz on Tyneside, Nichol draws on fragments of memory and the unanswered questions she left behind, ranging outward to reveal a truly national history.
John also uncovers accounts of heroic firefighters battling infernos, the unflinching bravery required to defuse unexploded bombs, families wiped out in an instant, the children evacuated from cities across the UK, communities left bereft by a single blast. He tells the incredible stories of the unsung heroes who endured explosions, fire and fear, but found the courage to run towards danger. And to shine light on the stories, he speaks to their modern counterparts, such as those who tackled the deadly blaze at Grenfell Tower. And as new military threats emerge, Nichol asks whether the country still has such resilience today.
Join John in conversation sharing stories from this nationwide struggle that shaped the course of the war and the spirit of a generation.
BIOGRAPY-
John Nichol served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. He is the bestselling co-author of TORNADO DOWN and author of many highly acclaimed epics, including SPITFIRE, LANCASTER and THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. He has made a number of TV documentaries with Second World War veterans, written for national newspapers and magazines, and is a widely quoted commentator on military affairs.