Time for some self-promotion! Lucky Jack (1894 -2000) by S. Bavey

Most of you know me for shouting out about other people’s books – but today it is time for a little self-promotion!!

My own book ‘Lucky Jack’ is now on sale in both kindle and paperback formats. It is my grandad’s story from birth during Victorian times in London, through World War 1 and on to World War 2 when he was considered too old to fight. He continued having adventures right up until the ripe old age of 106 – having become the ‘World’s Oldest Newspaper Columnist’ at the age of 103!

Jack Rogers after receiving the Légion D’Honneur medal

Grandad lived with us when I was born, until we moved when I was six years old. Then he came back to live with us in my teenage years and we were very close. He was my father’s father, but my Mum diligently collected the newspaper columns he dictated to a local reporter, and kept them in scrapbooks in her attic, where they gathered dust and yellowed over time. A few years ago I moved my Mum into an apartment and found all the scrapbooks in the process. “Wouldn’t it be great to have all of these stories in a book for my kids to read”, I thought. That was the germ of an idea which – thanks to my having time during Covid lockdown – has now resulted in the life story of my grandfather, Jack Rogers being written.

It would make an ideal gift for history fans, particularly of World War 1, but also people interested in first-hand accounts of life in Victorian London.

Accompanying photos can be viewed here.

LUCKY JACK (1894 – 2000)

Buried alive…twice. Survived a WW1 POW camp.
Drove through London with no brakes and lived to tell these tales!

“One of the perils of being a sniper during the First World War was the likelihood of a grenade going off right next to you and burying you alive”. 

Meet Jack Rogers. Born in 1896, he once locked eyes with Queen Victoria and was one of the first travellers on London’s ‘Tube’. An early car owner, he had many escapades on his days out to Brighton, including a time when his brakes failed and he had to drive through central London without them! 

His skills as an entertainer earned him popularity throughout his life, and kept him out of the deadly mines while a prisoner during the First World War. At the tender age of 103 Jack earned the title of ‘The World’s Oldest Columnist’ as he began dictating his life’s exploits to a reporter from the local newspaper. 

“This book is so fascinating! What a life he led. There’s a lot that gets left out of history books, but you can find it in here.”
Dan Fitzgerald

“Wonderful memories and some harrowing ones as well. A treasure trove of memories indeed spanning a century.“
Rebecca Hislop 

“An interesting read with a personal touch.”
Patricia Ellis

Published by josephtailor

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