Name: Kate Wills - “Treading The Duckboards”
Start: 2025-11-20T19:30:00+00:00
End: 2025-11-20T21:00:00+00:00
Location: Welwyn Civic Centre

$Kate Wills - \u201cTreading The Duckboards\u201d$

Join us as we walk in the footsteps of Kate Wills, treading the duckboards in the Great War and beyond
About this Event

Kate Wills - “Treading The Duckboards”

The Talk: A long-established part of both military and civilian life for decades, concert parties flourished on active service in WW1, creating mirth and music amidst the horrors of war. This is their story from curtain up at Ypres in 1914 to farewell performances in 1918 - and beyond!"

About the Speaker: Kate Wills spent her early career as a newspaper librarian, but over the years has also worked in theatre marketing and research, as a court usher, amanuensis, adult education tutor, bus conductress, casualty actress and since 2006 the tour guide for Northampton's stunning Victorian Gothic Guildhall and other historic buildings in the area. She has long been active in local history circles, and co-authored a number of books, including 'Life in the Boroughs' and 'Old Cures & Remedies'. Her main field of research however is the Great War 1914-18, and especially the little-explored area of entertainment on active service. 'Treading the Duckboards' relates how concert parties, already a long-established part of army life, took on a new significance on the battlefronts, and how the soldiers' home-made shows brought mirth and music to their comrades amidst the horrors of war. Kate hopes to publish 'Treading the Duckboards' as a book.

Tickets: Entry is free but we rely totally on donations to cover our costs! - Hall, speaker, drink etc. We suggest £5 per person - or whatever you can afford. You do not need to book to attend, but it would help us if you did (i.e. hall preparation and refreshments etc.).