Author Archives: Caroline Wigley

I’m absolutely delighted to have passed the Windsor and Eton Endorsement Course, and to now be able to guide in Windsor – at the Castle, in the town, and in Windsor Great Park – and in Eton. Windsor is one of those towns that grew up around a historic building – in Windsor’s case, WindsorContinue reading “Tour-guiding in Windsor and Eton”

Thank you to Hanwell WI (Women’s Institute) for being so welcoming yesterday evening. It was lovely to meet you all – and I’m so glad that you enjoyed my talk about A Weekend to Pack. It was very special, too, to be talking about one of the letters from George’s sister, Winnie – written notContinue reading “Thank you to Hanwell WI”

The Medieval Hall in Salisbury was the most delightful – and appropriate – setting for the Celebration Evening on Saturday 7 October 2023, marking the end of the South Central Blue Badge training course. It was a wonderful evening with speeches from Alistair Chisholm – Dorchester Mayor, Town Crier and Blue Badge guide – asContinue reading “Receiving my ITG Blue Badge!”

I’m really looking forward to judging the entries for Southampton Bitterne Library’s short story competition. The theme is ‘Libraries’ and the closing date is Monday 31 July 2023 – and so if you haven’t submitted an entry yet, there’s still time! Entries must be no more than 1,000 words and can be hand-written or typed,Continue reading “Bitterne Library Short Story Competition 2023”

I’m delighted to have been invited to speak at Bitterne Library on Tuesday 4 April 2023, 7pm, and helping to celebrate the library’s 60 years! As a writer and avid reader – of fiction and non-fiction – I’ve been a member of a library ‘for ever’. The weekly Saturday treat as a child was theContinue reading “Bitterne Library Talk Tuesday 4 April 2023, 7pm”

A Weekend to Pack: The Fall of Hong Kong (1940 – 1945) – A Bitterne family caught up in the Second World War in the Far East Saturday 12 November 2022, 7pmBitterne United Reformed Church, 446 Bitterne Road, Southampton, SO18 5EF The house in the photograph is the Bearman family home. It’s in Redlands Drive,Continue reading “Bitterne Local History Society Talk – Saturday 12 November 2022”

Today, 1 July 2022, marks 25 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China after 156 years as a British colony. The handover ceremony – attended by Prince Charles, the UK’s then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the Chinese President Jiang Zemin – began on 30 June 1997. At midnight Chris Patten as theContinue reading “1 July 2022 – 25 years since the return of Hong Kong to China, 82 years since the first evacuation ship sailed in 1940”

On 19 April 1941, George begins his letter to Hilda:  “It’s 6 o’clock Saturday evening, and I’m writing in the office while waiting for my lads to come back – yes, I’ve been working this afternoon and now it’s nearly time to pack up. “I’ve just been playing that silly game of being sorry forContinue reading ““I’ve just been playing that silly game of being sorry for myself””

It was really exciting to have been asked to sign copies of A Weekend to Pack in the shop at the Imperial War Museum in London. It was inspiring, too, to see the other books on the shelves and all the amazing titles.  I also took the opportunity to visit the museum’s newly opened SecondContinue reading “Signing copies of ‘A Weekend to Pack’ at the Imperial War Museum”