UK Launch - HEPWORTH WAKEFIELD - VE DAy Weekend

On 4 June 2026, as part of the D-Day anniversary week, nearly 100 guests gathered in Los Angeles to celebrate the international launch of Empire's Witness: A Soldier's Secret War Diary 1942–45.

The evening brought together historians, authors, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, veterans, family members and members of the public to explore the remarkable story of British Army Corporal Alwyn Day. Through photographs, maps, wartime records and original diary extracts, guests followed his 1942–45 journey from Britain through Africa, India, Iraq and Iran, where he served on the Persian Corridor, one of the most important Allied supply routes of the Second World War.

Author and documentary filmmaker Philip James Day shared the story of the three-year family investigation that uncovered Alwyn's forgotten wartime service and reconstructed his journey through military archives, convoy records, photographs, medals, correspondence and newly rediscovered diaries.

The evening was hosted by author and screenwriter Greg Cope White, whose engaging moderation guided a lively question-and-answer session exploring both the historical significance of Alwyn's story and the challenges of bringing personal histories to a wider audience. Greg also reflected on his own experience of transforming a life story into a published memoir, offering insights into the long journey from private memories to public record.

Award-winning journalist James Younger spoke about how some of the most compelling stories are often hidden in plain sight, waiting to be rediscovered in family archives, forgotten photographs, letters and diaries. His remarks echoed one of the central themes of Empire's Witness: that extraordinary stories frequently survive within ordinary families, unnoticed for generations.

The launch highlighted how a single soldier's diary can illuminate a much larger story: the vast global effort that connected Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union during the war, and the millions of ordinary people whose contributions helped shape the outcome of the conflict.