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11-10-11

Dear Harris fans,

It's been a pleasure meeting Sharpe fans of every vintage at the various events I attended since last reporting. I am always pleasantly surprised at the amount of very young fans of Sharpe that approach my table: keep up the good work parents.

Speaking of events, there are still a few appearances left on the Harris itinerary including a visit to historic Williamsburg, Virginia USA, Gravesham Toy Show and the Toy Soldier Show TBC.

In amongst the Harris itinerary, work on Harris Ten - the final frontier-continues slowly; still at an early stage H10 is having all it's relevant video footage uploaded to the computer. Already loaded and placed in the time line is all the action from the day of Hagman and Harris' death and the agonisingly, anticlimactic final days on the set of Sharpe that followed.

From there on I wanted to tell the story of my emergence from the Sharpe cocoon into a world of Sharpe appreciators. With no more Sharpe to film my attendance at S.A.S events became more frequent, following swiftly on with solo appearances and the creation of the Harris Video Diary.

During the interim between death on Sharpe and the birth of the Harris diary, I continued to roll the Harris cam (though not as assiduously as on Sharpe tour), but with the advent of the 'Harris Project', I realised that producing 'Harris' is also a journey and was deserving of and 'documenting' in earnest.

So, the question for Harris diary fans is: will my video diary approach to events post Sharpe still keep you entertained? Events that took me back to Russia and Ukraine, as well as a glimpse of Sri Lanka and Iran, but I suppose you will all let me know.

Of course that journey is still on-going, but if you are new to Sharpe (yeah to that) and want to augment your DVD box set, you can't go wrong with The Harris Diaries. Episodes 1-9 are all available, as are many photos and the 'Recollections of Rifleman Harris' audio book.

Jason 'Harris' Salkey
http://www.mhwshow.com/2011/index.php

Military History Weekend, Williamsburg ,VA, USA 15-16 Oct 2011
"…an unremitting debtor and a courtier to my lord bacchus!"

At Military Odyssey 2011 in front of my splendid Harris Flag made by Charles Ashburner

At Euro Militaire 2011 with Yvette from the Sharpe's Children's Foundation

"I liked the t-shirt so much Chista had one made for me" Cold Wars Lancaster Mar 2011

With Hugh Fraser, Daragh O'Malley and Lyndon Davies during a rest on Sharpe's March

27-02-11

Dear Harris fans,

Chosen greetings to all Sharpe appreciators around the world, at long last H9 is complete and ready to ship. I'm really happy with the finished product, a film that charts quite a turbulent time in my Sharpe odyssey. It's quite a dense episode so they'll be a lot to take in, hopefully it's still entertaining or amazing or both.

The H9 action stops just before the Harris-Hagman death scene is filmed on location which means the opening salvos of H10 - the final frontier - will feature the killing of the two last Chosen Men in all its glorious detail taking the Harris story through the completion of filming up into present day.

Anyone on my database will be notified as soon as I get the DVDs back from the duplicators as will Facebook friends and those through Sharpe Point, Sharpe's Chefs and SCF news reports.

With spring imminent that can only mean the Harris road show will be coming to a festival/convention near you, below are some of the confirmed dates so far.

At present the Sharpe/Harris odyssey is guiding me over the Atlantic again to guest at Cold Wars 2011, a war games convention that takes place in Lancaster PA, 11-13 March. So, if there are any Sharpe fans in the general area do come along http://www.coldwars.org/

2011 dates:

• 10 - 13th March - Cold Wars 2011, Lancaster, PA
• 26th March - Toy Soldier Show Royal National hotel, London
• 16th April - Salute 2011 XL Centre, London
• 23rd July Soldiers through the Ages Colchester
• 6-7th Aug Blast from the Past Broadlands
• 27-29th Aug Military Odyssey Kent County Fair Detling
• 17 & 18th Sept Euro Militaire, Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone

Just a nice photo taken at Kelmarsh by Kieron Nevison

Harris takes to the skies to skirmish with the baddies.
Military Odyssey Aug 2010

With my beautifully crafted Baker Rifle made by Derbyshire Arms.
Photo by Pat Patrick at Kingston Maurward House

Lined up with the boys of the 1st 95th proudly holding the new Harris flag
created by Charles Ashburner. Kingston Maurward

Paul Bigley, Lyndon, Stuart Sutherland and me after the SCF launch Oct 2010

Daragh O'Malley, the man responsible for the Sharpe's Children's Foundation with Paul and Lyndon

28-07-10

Dear Harris Fans,

The summer's well and truly here and as is the custom, the Harris road show heads out across the land. During the next three months I'll be doing Reenactor gigs, living history festivals and a toy soldier fair.

A big hello to the people of Chatham who warmly welcomed me and sat intently listening as I delivered my 'lecture' on life during Sharpe called Life at the Sharpe End. First rolled out last year at Historicon '09 in Lancaster PA, the talk covers my time from just before my audition for Harris and the present day.

I've added an extra date to my road show itinerary, an entirely new event for me but one an old Napoleonic soldier would feel at home. It's Navy Days at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on 30 July -1 August, if you are in the area do pop in to say hi.

Now for news on the seemingly endless production of H9. The voice over recording is at an advanced stage but the script still isn't fully complete though I'm closer to the end than the beginning. Full release details will be announced here first.

Jason 'Harris' Salkey

• 31st July - 1st Aug Naval & Military History Portsmouth Dockyard
• 7th - 8th Aug - Blasts from the Past Broadlands Estate, Romsey
• 21st - 22nd Aug - Scotland's Festival of History Lanark
• 28th - 30th Aug - Military Odyssey Kent County Showground, Detling
• 24th - 26th Sept - International Napoleonic Weekend Dorset
• 30th Oct - Gravesham Toy Show Gravesend, Kent

All original photographs (unless otherwise credited), graphics & code © riflemanharris.co.uk 2005 - 2011 no unauthorised reproduction.
Last update October 11th 2011.