Haunted Harbour and other Ripping Yarns

On Saturday 27 August at 6.30pm I will be in Gosport at the Diving Museum to give a talk about Percy F. Westerman and a rare showing of the silent film Haunted Harbour. The film was made by the Walsall Sea Scouts during a ten day camping trip to Anglesey on August Bank Holiday 1935.  I will tell the story of the film that is tantalisingly advertised on the dust wrapper of the first edition of the book Haunted Harbour in 1937 and its loss and remarkable rediscovery in 2011.

The film is a wonderful glimpse into a creative and resourceful Sea Scout groups interpretation of a great Westerman adventure; the only one to make to the "big" screen.

Tickets including refreshments are £6.00 each.

The Diving Museum
No.2 Battery
Stokes Bay Road
Gosport
Hampshire
PO12 2QU

Percy F. Westerman at Fareham

Percy F. Westerman will be sailing in to Westbury Manor Museum on Saturday 19 March at 10.00am.

Discover why Fareham was so important to Percy Westerman.

Admission is free.

Ripping Yarns: The Life and Books of Percy Westerman

The Annual Westerman Seminar Poster 2016

A Celebration of The Boy’s Own Paper at The Annual Westerman Seminar

The 2016 Annual Westerman Seminar is now only a matter of a few weeks away. The seminar from 10am until 4pm on Saturday 13 February at The Memorial Library, Portsmouth Grammar School is sixth seminar dedicated to the life and works of Percy F. Westerman, the Portsmouth born writer of children’s adventure stories and his contemporaries. The theme of this years seminar is The Boy’s Own Paper, an iconic title that survived without change from the very first issue published in January, 1879 until its final disappearance from the newsagents shelves 88 years later in February, 1967. ‘Whatever boys do makes up the mixture of this little book’ was the translation of the latin slogan (Quicquid agunt pueri nostril libelli farrago) which the famous Boy’s Own Paper used to win over generations of young readers. The weekly paper was a clever blend of exciting fiction, from writers that included Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne and Portsmouth’s very own Percy F. Westerman, bolstered with articles covering new science, technology, history, crafts and sports

This very friendly and informative seminar organised by the Portsmouth based Westerman Yarns organisation, includes sessions on Arthur Conan Doyle, George A. Henty, Dr Gordon Stables and of course Percy F. Westerman, all of whom contributed to The Boy’s Own Paper story. In addition there will be displays from the Conan Doyle Collection (Portsmouth Museums Service), The Research Collections of the University of Worcester, some rare BOP editions on loan from various private collections and a selection of antiquarian and rare children’s books for sale.

Places at the seminar are £17.50 including all refreshments and a buffet lunch. Advanced booking is advised by contacting Nigel Gossop at The Westerman Yarns. Telephone: 023 92 37 55 94 or email: westermanyarns@gmail.com