Western Front Association launches First World War imprint

By John Freeman on September 1, 2011

A new imprint to encourage the publication of First World War information has been established by The Western Front Association, in partnership with Tommies Guides.

Reveille Press will enable Association members to have their work published rapidly, efficiently and cost-effectively, even when the material is unlikely to be taken up by a mainstream publisher.

The WFA says the service is suitable for those who just wish to share their work with family members and friends, as well as those who seek commercial success. All genres, including reference works and poetry, will be considered and authors share royalties with the WFA.

Authors also benefit from association with the WFA and a specialist publisher in the field, avoid many of the costs associated with vanity publishing and are guaranteed never to be left with boxes of unsold copies. Reveille Press, through this new partnership with Tommies Guides, has the resources to enable distribution through major UK outlets, the internet and across the world.

Commented Bruce Simpson, Chairman of the WFA, “Ryan Gearing, who founded Tommies Guides, is one of our members and is passionate about military history. Combine that with his publishing experience and expertise and we believe that we are going to offer a unique service to our members who have dreamed of seeing their work in print, but have despaired of success with one of the traditional publishers.”

Ryan Gearing added, “For the first time amateur historians of The Great War can ensure that their research is made public in a highly professional manner. Typically, manuscripts we accept will appear within three months and authors will have the benefit of advice and a range of services including the distribution of review copies, while retaining all rights to their work. This is a custom-made service for niche and first time authors.”

The first book to be published is A Major Soldier – the military career of Frank Bailey DCM by Ted Bailey, the story of Frank Bailey — a man whose ordinary demeanour in civilian life hid a record of active service and heroism in the Great War.

He embarked on a 36-year long career with the Essex Regiment when he left his tiny rural community and enlisted a few weeks after the death of Queen Victoria. This remarkable journey took him far away from England to the colonies, the beaches of Gallipoli and the trenches at Beaumont Hamel in The Somme.

The book is described as a touching personal story which starts with a dramatic rescue and youthful memories of this quiet man and along the way unearths an unknown family and a brother killed in action. With the men of Essex, we relive the gross horrors of the now infamous campaigns of the Great War, including the famous tank battle at Cambrai where Frank earned the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry in the field.

After surviving that terrible conflict, grandad Frank finally retired with honour as a Major and his story is indeed that of A Major Soldier.

Author Ted Bailey was born in Brentwood, Essex during the Blitz. He initially worked in London schools and the Essex Youth and Adult Service. For over twenty years he trained teachers in the higher education sector, completed a Doctorate and has had articles published in relevant journals. A long standing love of history and its reach into contemporary society is what led to him exploring his grandfather Frank’s military life and the writing of this book. During the search, a hitherto unknown extended family was unearthed and he is continuing with this genealogical detection.

• A Major Soldier – the military career of Frank Bailey DCM is available from all good bookstores and Tommies Guides.

• Buy A Major Soldier: The Military Career of Frank Bailey DCM from amazon.co.uk

• Visit the new Reveille Press website to learn more about their publishing plans

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.