Scratching Shed Publishing

A lifetime of policing the streets, but that was only the beginning… For years, PC David Watson was a policeman of the old school. He patrolled the towns and cities of England’s north by car and on foot, where a fight against crime lurked around every corner. Until, one day, disaster struck – albeit from an unexpected direction. A near fatal encounter in the Scottish Highlands left the Yorkshire bobby inches away from death and with just about every bone in his body shattered. Indeed, had it not been for a miracle intervention, his story would have already been over. As it was, and initially from his hospital bed, he embarked on a physical and psychological battle for survival. He rebuilt a life that had once been so active, step by painful step. Out of the Blue is the inspirational story of that fightback and more. It gives an inside take on British policing at the sharp end – the dangers, the frustrations, the thrills and the humour. And it shows how overwhelming odds can be beaten by hope, courage, determination, medical skill and family support..

Founded in 1948, the Leeds-based Proscenium Players were the first Jewish Amateur Stage Group, regularly winning rave reviews for their varied artistic programme. Now, at long last, John Fisher, a leading light in the Pross’ productions and the organisation’s official chronicler, has charted their history in a book rich with photographs, bill postings, programmes and testimonials. It is a sparkling tale that will be of interest to locals and theatre historians alike. And one added bonus is that the book’s foreword is written by a very well known former Proscenium Player indeed – Leeds’ very own British comedy legend, Barry Cryer OBE. Bring up the curtain on An Audience of Curious People; a warmly-written book about theatre like no other.

When Gunner George Norman Davison returned to his hometown of Sheffield, England, upon the conclusion of the Second World War, he used the diary he had carried with him to write a vivid first-hand account of his experiences. These included the former insurance clerk’s initial training in the UK and posting to North Africa; his immediate separation from Irene, his newlywed wife; his subsequent capture and imprisonment in the desert camps of Libya; the seemingly endless, lonely and hungry minutes dreaming of food and home; his re-transportation to Italy; the cruelty and kindness of his captors there; and – finally – his escape with the aid of the Italian resistance across the border on Lake Como into Switzerland. Job done, Davison then put his remarkable story to one side before typing it up in manuscript form shortly before his death in 1986, whereupon it was rediscovered in a dusty attic by his only son, John. Alongside it was a battered old suitcase which contained yet more fascinating items, including each and every letter that Norman and Irene Davison had written to one another in those dark days from 1939 to 1946. Here, published for the very first time, Norman Davison’s story is finally given the public attention that it deserves. The result – In The Prison of his Days – is a singular tale of extraordinary times, that is by turns moving, amusing, informative and thrilling.