Hero or villain: The intrepid Reginald Teague-Jones in Transcaspia with his men in 1918
About this talk: After the revolution, many regions within the Russian Empire sought to break away. Transcaspia (now Turkmenistan) was one. More by accident than design a handful of British Indian troops found themselves propping up a rickety anti-Bolshevik regime. Reginald Teague-Jones was Britain's man on the spot. He was later accused of the cold-blooded murder of 26 leading Bolsheviks, spending the rest of his life under threat of Communist assassination. The talk looks at both the British Transcaspia intervention and the life of Teague-Jones, policeman, traveller, filmmaker, author (he published his first book aged 99) and spy.
About the speaker: Nick Higham (pictured) spent almost 30 years as a correspondent for BBC News, working across TV and radio. This talk derives from Nick's research for his new book, Mavericks: Empire, Oil, Revolution and the Forgotten Battle of World War One, about the Battle of Baku in Aug/Sep 1918 and the British soldiers, spies and adventurers connected with it. It was published earlier this month. Nick is a very experienced speaker, having given his popular illustrated talk on London's water, based on his 2022 book - The Mercenary River: A History of London's Water - over 70 times. Details of how to obtain signed copies of these titles will be given during the talk.
Signed copies of both books available by request
This online talk: opens at 19:20 for a 19:30 start, ending at about 20:35. All times are London time. Participating is quick and easy. The only equipment you need is a computer, a tablet, or a smart phone. Simply email outreach@wfa-nwkent.uk for your link and the passcode, which we'll send out during the morning (UK time) of Tuesday 14th October, the day of the talk. You'll also be automatically be added to the mailing list to keep you updated with future events. You can unsubscribe from this at any time.
