An Afternoon with John Nichol

About this event

Join bestselling author and former RAF Tornado navigator John Nichol as he talks about his new book “BLITZ - When World War Two Came Home”, and his own experience as a prisoner-of-war during the 1991 Gulf War.

Though May 2026 marks the 85th anniversary of the supposed end of the blitz, the assault across Britain lasted for most of the Second World War causing many thousands more deaths. Nichol tells the story of the blitz afresh, beginning with his mother’s experiences in Tyneside, expanding to recount the full impact across the nation, from Dover to Glasgow, Cardiff to Manchester. Using official records, eyewitness testimonies, and interviews some of the few living survivors, he tells the story of what he calls the ‘provincial blitz’, a nationwide struggle that shaped the course of the war and the spirit of a generation.  

BLITZ uncovers accounts of heroic firefighters battling infernos, the unflinching bravery required to defuse unexploded bombs, families wiped out in an instant, the children evacuated from cities across the UK, communities left bereft by a single blast. John tells the incredible stories of the unsung heroes who endured explosions, fire and fear, but found the courage to run towards danger. And to shine light on the stories, he speaks to their modern counterparts, such as the firefighters who tackled the tragic blaze at Grenfell Tower. Finally, as new military threats emerge, Nichol asks whether the country still has such resilience today. 

John Nichol served in the Royal Air Force for fifteen years. On active duty during the first Gulf War, his Tornado bomber was shot down during a mission over Iraq. Captured and tortured, John was paraded on television, provoking worldwide condemnation and leaving one of the most enduring images of the conflict. He is the bestselling co-author of Tornado Down and author of many highly acclaimed Second World War epics including Spitfire and Lancaster, all of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. BLITZ is John’s twentieth book.