Ian’s Blog 22nd February 2026

On Sunday I uploaded a new video onto youtube. This is a video for Kate Werran who has written two books about the problems that arose due to racial intolerance in the US army in England in World War Two. The most interesting aspect about this for me was a mutiny that occurred in Launceston, Cornwall in 1943. Shots were fired in the town square by some of the US soldiers in a dispute between the black American soldiers and the US military Police. This led to a trial in Palace Avenue, Paignton. My Mum and her sister were born in Launceston and grew up there before moving to Exeter. This would have been at some time prior to 1942. Both my parents were in Exeter when it was bombed during the war. There are two other reasons why this mutiny in Launceston is of particular interest to me. One of these reasons is because in the 1990’s I worked at the Paignton branch of Barclays bank on the same side of the road where the trial of the black US army soldiers took place. Another reason is that Kate’s father found out about the mutiny when he moved to Launceston as a boy in the late 1940’s. He made a new friend with the poet Charles Causley who told him all about the dispute. I am related to the folk musician Jim Causley ( my maternal grandfather was Stanley Causley ) who has told me that we are related to Charles Causley. This is why I was inspired to compose my song called Mutiny in Launceston which I have used as the background music for my video which I made for Kate using her photos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ch2YboyvIo&t=1s

Ian’s Blog 15th February 2026

Graham Moores emailed me on Thursday to say that he is happy with my new vocal on the song called Harold, Ivan and Tabor. I am hoping that he can soon record his guitar for this song. There are three other Five Boys songs awaiting his guitar parts and then the recordings for this album should be finished.

Ian’s Blog 8th February 2026

On Wednesday afternoon I added some Mellotron M300 violin and cello to my recording of the Constitution and the Guerriere traditional song. Then in the evening I went to the Artizan Gallery in Lucius Street, Torquay to hear my friend Steve Honeywill talk about his new book which has just been published. His book is a novel called The Clubs. https://wearesouthdevon.com/back-to-1980s-torquay-with-author-steve-honeywills-new-novel-the-clubs/

Ian’s Blog 1st February 2026

I have made a video for my Old Torquay Adverts song which features photos of some of the adverts mentioned in the song. The adverts are in a 1961 copy of Kelly’s directory of Paignton and Torbay. My copy of this directory came via my friend John Dike when he recently moved from his house in Coldridge to relocate to Somerset. He also gave me some old bottles which he had found in his garden when he lived in Torquay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-cQVsaOq9U

Ian’s Blog 25th January 2026

My song called Old Torquay Adverts was included on another great Mike Davies radio show. You can hear my song at about 49 minutes into the show after a song by Adam Well called A Little Broken. Adam’s song features a really lovely guitar solo. www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/alternative-roots-with-mike-davies-18012026/

Ian’s Blog 18th January 2026

Thank you once again to Mike Davies of Brum Radio for including my music on his radio show. You can hear my song about the Babbacombe history trail on his 11th January 2026 Alternative Routes show. The idea for my song came from a conversation with David Hinchliffe of the Babbacombe and St Marychurch local history society and also from when I help with the Summer guided walks in Babbacombe. Some of the things mentioned in the song are some of the items of interest that I talk about on the guided walks. You can hear my song at about 1 hour 35 minutes into the show after a song by The Woodpickers. https://www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/alternative-roots-with-mike-davies-11012026/

Ian’s Blog 11th January 2026

On Wednesday my Churchward album was released on Spotify etc. https://open.spotify.com/album/60Gr1amlJP6gPUlIBgxYqx?si=erK5SEtlRQauYB4wjIVzPw