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Musical of the Life of the Late Great Walter Tull Coming to Poole and Dorchester

29th December 2025

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New Musical based on the life of the late, great Walter Tull, to tour the UK in February & March 2026 as part of a campaign for justice to right a historic wrong done to “Britain’s FIrst Black Army officer”.

OUR LITTLE HOUR – the critically acclaimed musical based on the life of the late, great Walter Tull that has been commissioned by Show Racism the Red Card – will be touring England throughout February and March this year as part of a national campaign to address a century-old injustice that has denied Britain’s first “Black British” Army Officer the award of the Military Cross for which he was recommended during the First World War. The production will be staged at Lighthouse Poole and Dorchester Arts on 11th and 12th March, respectively.

Hailed as “utterly compelling” and “an intensely moving new musical drama”, OUR LITTLE HOUR tells the inspirational story of Walter Tull – who became the first Black footballer to play at the highest level of the domestic game in the UK before achieving another historic breakthrough as the first man of his heritage to be commissioned as an officer in the British Army. His appointment in 1917 came despite an official ruling made just three years before that all British Army officers should be of “pure European descent”.

Leon Newman, who plays Walter Tull in this critically acclaimed new musical, believes that “while OUR LITTLE HOUR is an artistic celebration of Walter Tull’s life, it is also part of an active mission to persuade the British Government to honour the award of the Military Cross for which Walter was recommended following his courage and leadership during a mission that took place on January 1st, 1918, when he led a party of 26 men as part of a raid across the Piave River in Northern Italy.”

The job of Walter Tull’s party was to shield the rest of the battalion involved in the raid and provide cover as they crossed multiple streams and advanced on enemy lines. The raid was a complete success, and Walter returned with all 26 of his men safe and unharmed. As a consequence, he received a citation for “gallantry and coolness” under fire from Major-General Sydney Lawford, Commander of the 41st Division of the British Army.

For some inexplicable reason the award has never been made, and playwright Dougie Blaxland who has placed Walter Tull’s role in the raid across the Piave River at the very centre of the drama, argues that “the failure to honour Walter Tull with the award he so clearly deserved is made all the more disgraceful by the fact that he was killed just three months later fighting in Northern France.”

Director Amanda Horlock described OUR LITTLE HOUR as “a celebration of the life of an extraordinary man whose pioneering spirit continues to inspire the campaign for justice and equality. This production honours the memory of one of the most significant figures in British sporting and military history.”

Combining a power-packed drama with hauntingly original music, OUR LITTLE HOUR Paul Kearns, Director of Operations at Show Racism the Red Card, believes that the production “tells a really important story which will help to reinforce the work that we are doing to combat racism by engaging new audiences in a celebration of Walter Tull’s pioneering contribution to British society.”

To date more than 3000 people have signed up in support of the campaign, but in the words of Dougie Blaxland “we have still have a long way to go to reach the 10,000 signatures needed for a formal response from the government, but we hope audiences will be moved to support us when they have heard the great man’s extraordinary story”.

More details of the campaign to honour Walter Tull can be found via the following link:

https://www.change.org/p/honour-walter-tull-by-awarding-him-the-military-cross-and-by-erecting-a-statue-in-london

Full details of dates and venues for the tour of OUR LITTLE HOUR can be found below:

Full Tour Schedule with Venues

Tues 3rd to Sat 7th Feb Greenwich Theatre London https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/ourlittlehour/

Tues 10th Feb Mercury Theatre Colchester