A Few Words About

The Kilted Tommy

The Kilted Tommy Stories
Covering World War 1 and 2

These Historical Interpretations are based on the life and times of Harry Kay (Simon’s maternal grandfather), and his family.

He was a volunteer in Kitchener’s Army during the First World War.

They can be performed separately or mixed to suit.

World War 1

The Kilted Tommy

The dramatised monologue is the story of an ordinary Englishman who joined a Highland Regiment, the Seaforth Highlanders, and, surprisingly joined thousands of other Englishmen who fought in kilts for their country.
Spoken and acted in a way to include the audience in his reminiscence, we hear about why Harry joined up, his training, his first battle at Loos, his other battles, the nature of comradeship, and how his experiences influenced his life in the aftermath of the Great War.

This is 45 mins long

Downton Abbey

Made famous Highclere House’ role in WW1 as a hospital for wounded officers. Find out what it was like to be wounded and treated in the army. Find out through the eyes of Harry Kay what it was like for the officers sent to Highclere House.

20 mins long

Kipling

The Kilted Tommy fought close to where Jack Kipling was killed at the battle of Loos. Hear how 2 young soldiers became friends and how, at the end of the war, the Kilted Tommy visited Rudyard Kipling at Batemans and told him of his friendship with his son.

20 mins long

World War 2

D-Day

How would The Kilted Tommy react to finding out D-Day had arrived and that his son was in the thick of the fighting. Listen to his reminisces on D_Day, the events leading up to it and how he and his family experienced the day, and of his hopes for the future.

25 mins long

V-E Day

How did The Kilted Tommy and his family manage during WW2. How the time from D-Day was littered with false promised for the end of the war and how they coped. How they finally found out it was V-E Day. How they felt about it and how they celebrated and planned for a new life after the war.

25 mins long

Juno Beach

Jeff Kay, Harry’s son, joined the Royal Marines at 18. Meet him and hear his tales about his initial training, and the preparations leading up to D-Day. Experience with him his embarcation onto a landing craft from Gosport as commander of a Centaur tank. Experience the terrifying landings onto Juno Beach on the first day of D-Day. Find out what he did on that day that won him the Military Medal at only 20 years old.

25 minutes long

Memories of World War 2

Especially prepared for care-homes

Bring memories to life.

Let your clients enjoy revisiting their family life in the 1940s..

I tell the tales of my maternal grandparents in WW2.

I tell as if I was my grandfather. I talk about what life was like on a daily basis, dealing with rationing, work, air raids, blackouts, the evacuation of children, sons joining the forces, experiencing D Day and VE Day.

Exploring what they did and how they felt.

I have lots of show and tell items. Original newspapers, identity cards, ration books, food containers, government pamphlets and the like.

Enjoy a sing along with a couple of wartime songs.

Hear excerpts of famous speeches.

The show lasts around an hour. I wear a 1940s suit.

I am a public speaker, writer and historian. I have addressed other care homes, ARAs, U3As, Rotary, Probus and WIs

Cressing Temple feedback, April 2018 – ‘It really was a privilege to hear you give the kilted tommy talk on Saturday. Thank you for crafting your words so well. Time travel at its best. My eyes are less leaky now’.

Performances across England, included:-

St Georges Art Festival, Beckenham, Bromley, Kent on 25th June 2014
Historical Hereford Remembered 1914, July 2014
Lowestoft Revisited 1914, July 2014
Commemoration of the start of WW1 at Eastbourne Museum, Redoubt Fortress, August 2014
Melford Hall, Suffolk for the National Trust in August 2014
Beckenham Theatre Centre on Remembrance weekend November 2014
May 2015 – The Kilted Tommy had 4 performances at the Brighton Fringe
This link is to a radio interview about the Kilted Tommy at the Brighton Fringe
June 2015 – The Kilted Tommy appeared 3 times in The Oxford Fringe
2015. Oxford Fringe Flyer
November 2015 – An Evening of Magic and Remembrance.
The All Saints Centre, Friars Walk, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2LE.
November 2016 – A performance in St Mary’s Church, Menai Bridge.
“At last nights Congregational meeting I was asked to write to you to thank you very much for your writing and performance of The Kilted Tommy play on Remembrance Sunday 2016. Everyone who attended was full of praise.” from The Secretary, St Mary’s Church, Menai Bridge.
September 2018 The Kilted Tommy attended an event, Heroes at Highclere Castle. (Downton Abbey) Telling stories about WW1 hospitalisation for the wounded and about Highclere as a hospital.
August 2017 and 2018 – Bateman’s, Sussex for the National Trust and Pike and Shot events, I performed an amended Kilted Tommy, concentrating on him befriending Jack Kipling and the Battle of Loos that they both fought in, relatively close to one another, and about meeting his father, Rudyard Kipling after the war and recounting our friendship