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Forthcoming Talks & Lectures
  • 17-20 November 2011
    Kendal Mountain Festival

    I will be interviewing writers for the Boardman Tasker prize and introducing events throughout the weekend including the Mountain Heritage Trust 'Antiques Road Show'

    www.mountainfest.co.uk

  • 24 November 2011

    Aston Scott School will be reliving evacuation day and I will be attending as a guest speaker

  • 25th November 2011 at the Gateway Education and Arts Centre, Shrewsbury 11:30am

    Shrewsbury Book Fest When the Children Came Home

    www.shrewsburybookfest.co.uk

  • 26th November 2011 6pm Wayfarers' Club lecture in Ambleside

    Everest Needs You, Mr Irvine

  • 29th November History Channel

    When the Boys Came Home

  • 1st December at the Royal Geographical Society, London

    Triumph and Tragedy on the Eiger

    I will be introducing Messrs Bonington and Steck at this Mountain Heritage Trust evening.

    www.thebmc.co.uk/News.aspx?id=3766

Recent Events
  • Autumn 2011 Lecture tour Everest Needs You, Mr Irvine: Dates and venues

  • Thursday 29 April 12:30
    Stranger in the House

    National Army Museum www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/whatsOn/lunchtimeLectures

  • 20-28th March 2010
    Oxford Literary Festival

    Three events including a panel with Susie Dent, Henry Hitchings and Stephen Harrison entitled Fighting for the Soul of English

  • 1-4th March 2010
    Everest Needs You, Mr Irvine

    A series of five lectures for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in Aberdeen, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Major Events of Recent Times
  • The Arney Theatre, Abingdon School
  • Dulwich Picture Gallery
  • National Geographic, Washington
  • Glasgow City Hall
  • Chipping Norton Theatre
  • Chesterfield, Winding Wheel Theatre
  • Canada House, Trafalgar Square
  • Wilfred Owen Association for his Centenary
  • Imperial War Museum
Everest Needs You, Mr Irvine
Illustrated talk - 40 to 60 minutes
The extraordinary life of Sandy Irvine, the youngest member of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition is the subject of this lively and beautifully illustrated talk. It explores his early life and asks what made him so exceptional that grandees of the Mount Everest Committee thought it advisable to invite him onto the expedition. And, once invited, how was it that a young man of twenty-two was chosen by Mallory to make the final attempt to reach the top of the world?

"As a professional speaker I find it difficult not to criticise others on stage about this or that. Is their layout good? Are their images of high quality? Can the presenter speak well and engage their audience? This was an evening where I had nothing to worry about. Julie Summers presented 'Everest needs you Mr. Irvine' at Derby Guildhall and stunned us all with her incredible knowledge, depth of research, wonderful pictures and heartfelt passion about her Great Uncle, Sandy Irvine."

- Nigel Vardy (Mr. Frostbite). Read full review

The Bridge on the River Kwai - Truth or Fiction?
Illustrated talk - 40 to 60 minutes
This talk focuses on the similarities and differences between the film Bridge on the River Kwai and the historical reality of the building of the bridge at Tamarkan in 1942. It looks at the personality of Colonel Nicholson, played in an Oscar winning performance by Alec Guinness, and that of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey, whose Oscar winning performances went unnoticed by the outside world although they were widely admired by the men in his prison camps. Did the prisoners whistle Colonel Bogey? Did they help or hinder the Japanese when designing and building the bridge? How many bridges are there on the River Kwai? Illustrated talk with original archive recordings of Toosey talking about the prison camps.
Shackleton's Voyages
Illustrated talk - 45 to 60 minutes.
Shackleton's career was defined by the hopes of glory crushed in the ice off Antarctica in 1916 as the Endurance sank beneath the pack. He then redeemed himself and the situation by sailing 800 miles across some of the heaviest seas in the world in a lifeboat to raise the rescue for his men marooned on Elephant Island. It is a story of extreme courage and mental toughness. But who was Shackleton? In this talk the real man is explored as Julie tracks his life from his early ambitions to his first journey south with Captain Scott aboard the Discovery in 1901 to his last, fateful expedition in 1922 on the Quest. The public and private face of an extraordinarily complex man is revealed.
Every Picture Tells a Story
Illustrated talk - 45 to 60 minutes.
This talk touches on the three most recent books and assesses the value of good picture research. It is surprising how much can be achieved with a minimal amount of good photographic material. An enthusiastic approach to picture archives has sometimes led to first rate finds of unpublished material. Luck plays a part too, especially when pictures fall out of books or trunks appear after seventy seven years in a family attic. This talk was recently given as part of a seminar on family history when members of the audience were invited to bring their own pictures for discussion. It was enthusiastically received. This is only possible with a group of 20 or less.

First given at the Oxford Literary Festival 2005.

Remember, Remember, the 11th November
Illustrated talk - 45 to 60 minutes.
In May 1917 a remarkable organisation was given Royal Charter. Its brief, one of the most ambitious imaginable: to commemorate in perpetuity the one million Imperial servicemen who died in the Great War. Extended to cover the dead of the Second World War the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is represented in 150 countries, 23,000 burial locations and commemorates 1.7 million men and women. This talk, illustrated with stunning images by award winning photographer, Brian Harris, traces the early history of the Commission focussing on the personalities that brought this great institution into being.
From the Crimea to Korea: a History of War Cemeteries
Illustrated talk - 45 to 60 minutes.
It may surprise people to learn that the war cemetery is a modern phenomenon that developed simultaneously with better care for sick and wounded soldiers. Prior to the Crimean War battlefields had to be cleared quickly and efficiently, since disease was a far bigger killer for the soldiers than warfare. Men were buried in mass graves. Only officers – and not all of them by any means – were accorded the dignity in death of a grave, headstone and permanent memorial. There are few exceptions. This talk traces the history of British and Commonwealth War Cemeteries from 1854 to 1951, after which the policy of burying the Forces dead in war cemeteries more or less ceased. Today men and women’s remains are repatriated. But the hundred years of war cemeteries have given us some of the most remarkable and evocative images of remembrance.
Stranger in the House
Illustrated talk - 45 to 60 minutes.
For over sixty years the effect of men returning from the Second World War has been felt in homes and families. Often troubled by their experiences of battles or prison camps, men found it hard to readjust to life in Britain in the immediate aftermath and the repercussions have been felt by mothers, wives, children and even grandchildren. But how was it for the women? This talk will look at some of the stories and consider why this important area of our social history has been so little examined. With the enormous interest in family history today, this talk is relevant to any one interested in the whys and wherefores of our immediate past.
“Julie Summers presented 'Everest needs you Mr. Irvine' at Derby Guildhall and stunned us all with her incredible knowledge, depth of research, wonderful pictures and heartfelt passion about her Great Uncle, Sandy Irvine.”
Nigel Vardy, Explorer (aka 'Mr Frostbite')
“ Impeccable professionalism of execution and the brilliant way you put over the story - neither too much, nor too little, but beautifully honed and crafted to fit the audience and the time. The accompanying, memorable images were so cleverly chosen and slotted in at the perfect moment: they will live long in the mind. ”
Margaret Wilkes,
Co-chairman RSGS Edinburgh Centre
“Great stuff. Write another book and come back to talk to us again.”
Lori Dynan, Events Organiser,
National Geographic, Washington
“Well structured, clearly and enthusiastically delivered.”
Angela Prysor-Jones,
Director, Oxford Literary Festival
“A powerful story and a magnificent performance! Not a word was out of tune, truly impressive and a pleasure to hear.”
Professor Nick Trefethen,
Balliol College, Oxford
“Thank you again for the fascinating evening you provided for us. The response here from staff and the public has been really positive.”
River & Rowing Museum,
Henley on Thames
“Julie is a marvellous speaker. Knowledgeable, articulate and enthusiastic. Her appearance at 90 Years On was one of the highlights of the weekend. ”
Vanessa Davis,
Hon. Sec. of the Wilfred Owen Association
“Thank you so very much for coming up to Glasgow last week to give our guests a most splendid lecture. It was a huge success. I thought the fact that what you said resonated with the experience of so many in the audience first underlined how wise I was to ask you to do this, the inaugural lecture. I also thought the slides worked very well. Afterwards many spoke to me about how much you had moved them.”
Commander Toby Elliott RN,
Chief Executive, Combat Stress - the ex-services mental health charity.
“Really enjoyed the talk - makes one wonder how we cope sometimes.”
“I have heard Julie speak before and found her interesting, colourful and clearly passionate about writing. That inspired me to buy Stranger in the House and also to attend this talk to hear more. Julie's a joy to listen to and her energetic personality always makes her talks fun!”
“I really enjoyed it”