No Ordinary Tuesday explores how those young people in WWII overcame severe adversity—and what we can all learn from that. It's a story of positivity amid chaos, loyalty, honesty, love, respect and, most of all, the importance of friendship in human lives. And as the planet sleepwalks towards another huge conflict and the final few men and women from that time edge closer to the departure lounge, it's a subject that urges examination and deserves telling.
The unique narrative and original writing style allow first-person exploration of many perspectives over differing epochs: the reader is immersed in heady nostalgia, the immediacy of conflict, the innocence of youth, the pointlessness of war, and the impact of loss. It's a highly visual work melding techniques from different media, allowing for a detailed account of a rare journey that offers circumspection, deep insight and a balanced comparison of modern values and those of yesteryear.
Using painstakingly researched materials from public archives and hundreds of hours of interviews, this is the story of how a moment on a beach in Normandy led to a memorable sequence of events.
The main focal points are certain life experiences of David Leon Teacher, MBE, a WWII veteran of both D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge (as detailed in Spielberg's Band of Brothers). In 1944, he was a tiny cog within the vast D-Day machine that kick-started European liberation. In the day's early light, he drove a waterproofed truck off a landing craft ramp through deep water onto Juno Beach, where they suffered over 1,200 casualties. He saw the early demise of hundreds of young men in a single day. Various other perspectives enrich the storyline, bringing monochromatic memories to life with the vivid colours of human candour.
The story's narrator is Richard Alexander, an experienced broadcaster, writer and filmmaker who, using his years of experience, has overlaid personal accounts onto official records from the time.
Over seven years, David and Richard have been travelling to the Continent, and during that period have had the opportunity to observe the changing attitudes in different countries and communities towards commemoration and remembrance. This deep and sincere friendship has been documented over the entire time (using video, audio and written notes) and, as such, is a unique window that cannot be imitated.
Using the materials, Richard has created a printed volume that allows the reader several insights: what it was like to be David as a young man before and during the war, and how it has been for him to see changing values in later life, and also what it has been like to accompany one of the last of the few still able to revisit those former sites of tumultuous times and great human sacrifice.
All editions contain over 160 QR codes printed on the pages, allowing the reader to instantly access and stream short video clips via the camera on their electronic device, mainly featuring vignettes of David speaking from the hundreds of interviews recorded by the author. These clips are mostly under a minute and contain extra detail not in the book, allowing the reader to understand better the main interviewee, David, and his relationship with Richard, the author.
Click the box below to see an example clip:
No Ordinary Tuesday is a self-published volume consisting of five books written over five years. It is available in FOUR versions, allowing crowdfunding supporters to back the work to a level they are comfortable with. All are A4-sized hardcover works containing over 100 inline photos/illustrations amongst the text (almost 190,000 words, of which the main body is over 177,000).
- The PLATINUM AND GOLD editions are 563 pages using 80# (80gsm) paper and are full colour throughout, including 138 stunning edge-to-edge photos and rare restored/remastered images. Also, a limited amount of signed paraphernalia will be included with all early orders of the PLATINUM.
- All PLATINUM & GOLD editions will also receive an audiobook in 2024, which will be constructed directly from unused interviews and narrated by Richard Alexander.
- The SILVER edition is identical, except for these full-page inserts, which are omitted, and have no additional benefits. This edition is full-colour throughout and is 427 pages.
- Finally, the BRONZE edition is a monochrome release of the SILVER edition printed on 60# (60gsm) pape.
The first editions will only be available directly from the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter. At the bottom of this page is a direct link to the campaign:
All backers will support an independent approach to creating innovative media that otherwise would be unlikely to see the light of day. Publishing houses have deeply ingrained or established formats/methods regarding what they can or are willing to invest in traditional print. As a visual artist, the author has already started developing other stories which will take a similarly brave attitude to merge differing media and create works unlike any currently available. Unsurprisingly, this takes time –a lot!– which is why this approach is the exception and not the norm. The working titles can be seen on this website, and further details will be released after the research stages (which have been started) are further developed.
I started writing this letter after visiting my dear friend, David Teacher MBE, shortly after Tuesday 6th June, the first time I haven't accompanied him to a beach in Normandy in years.
With almost 50 years separating us, our friendship is unusual, helping me change in a way I shall forever be grateful for. We met by chance shortly after he became a widower in 2016, and –as a freelance broadcaster– I volunteered to record something the following year: a re-enactment of his ‘drive on the beach’. That moment was merely the start for us. Since, we've returned to the continent regularly for commemorative events, where elderly locals demonstrate sincere gratitude directly to veterans. Such interactions have added a deeper meaning to David's tenth decade, something to look forward to, a reason to keep living—his words, not mine. Our time travelling has generated joy, laughter, insight and circumspection: it's been a privilege to accompany him. Crucially, meeting service people of all ages on these trips encouraged me to overcome the most difficult period in my life. After hearing many grave stories and perspectives firsthand, I managed to pull back from the abyss.
David and I met at the perfect time, his attitude and demeanour were integral in helping me repair my mental health, and my first attempt at writing a book was a product of my recovery. Financial support came from my two closest friends as I was no longer working; I only recently paid back the tens of thousands they loaned me by selling my house. Crucially, during the writing process of the last few years, two other friends lost their own lonely battles, and my biggest sponsor is now on the precipice too. Meaningful friendship holds a rare power –without it, I would not be around, for sure– and I want my struggling friend to know how his kindness changed my world and boosted my self-esteem.
David spent his retirement volunteering, raising money and improving lives—his efforts recognised in 2012 with an MBE. More recently, he became a bilateral amputee: losing his first leg didn't slow him down, but the removal of the second also took away his independence. After a tough start to 2020, both in and out of the hospital while living alone in Manchester, David endured the painful pinch of lockdown on top of the bitter reality that the virus had obliterated a longed-for event—the 75th anniversary of VE day. All I could do was increase the regularity of my trips from South Yorkshire as I endeavoured to correct a poor book released on his behalf in 2016 by an imposter. Our days as ‘bubble-buddies’ in his ground-floor flat, talking about his past, lit up my imagination, and the more we talked, the more involved the project became.
In truth, before I talked deeply with David and his contemporaries, I'd been applying myself to creating more meaningful media, which –I discovered, repeatedly– is a more arduous task than making meaningless TV. The pandemic pushed me to the financial edge, but that trusting support of friends convinced me to jump into the unknown. However, the sweetness of completion also brings a bittersweet tang: David turned 99 last December, and we're nearing the end of the road. His increasing frailties put overseas visits beyond his ability and safety, culling those motivational moments to ‘keep buggering on’.
He frequently enquires about our usual travels, and having to tell him we can't go anymore is a painful repetition that will only be vanquished when his memory degrades further. When the red letter days on the calendar fade into nothingness. I still plan days out, but he grows ever more vulnerable, getting weaker before my eyes; as I write, he is in a bed in his Salford care home for veterans, and all who know him are hoping the antibiotics will do their job again.
Our time together means I know David's life story better than anyone –including, sadly, now himself– with his worsening dementia making reading almost impossible. Irony has never stung so deeply.
Mindful of protecting an innovative but uncompleted work, and with publishers renowned for having strict house styles, I opted for self-publishing. It is now entirely ready to go, and the task is to draw attention to crowdfunding as I attempt to shine a light on how those young people in WWII overcame severe adversity—and what we can all learn from that. It's a story of positivity amid chaos, loyalty, honesty, love and respect. And as the final few men and women from that time edge closer to the departure lounge, it deserves telling. With David closing in on his 'hundred not out', here's hoping its publication tempers the disappointment he repeatedly feels when his failing memory suggests we are due another trip to Europe.
David has given plenty to others in life, and it was only fitting to direct my energies to him more recently; now, we are in the hands of others who could help bring that message to as broad an audience as possible.
I appreciate your interest and am genuinely grateful for all your support.
Rich
Click the KICKSTARTER logo to go direct to crowdfunding:
