MELODY FOREMAN MCIJ
Award-winning journalist, biographer,
art historian, literary events host, Accredited Lecturer
of The Arts Society,
co-founder of The Art of Calm
I am an award-winning journalist and best-selling author exploring cultural and social history. I have hosted popular literary events and work as a public speaker. I also enjoy my role as a tour guide at an historic house in Kent, UK.
I am a Member of the Chartered Institute of Journalists and a committed enthusiast of the prize-winning Wayfarer Wines in Kent.
In 2026 I became co-founder of The Art of Calm with holistic therapist and watercolourist Christine Bailey.
Greetings!
On my website you can read about my books, journalism, book reviews and literary events. I write for national and international publications and have recently joined Fighting High Books. You can catch up too on my broadcasting experiences, and various talk events at museums, halls, schools and churches. It is always wonderful to meet so many attentive audiences and to hear all your stories.
My in-depth articles, book reviews and photographs have appeared in various publications including The Independent, The Mirror, The Express, The Mail, and Britain at War magazine. I have also worked as a researcher on several ITV documentaries and have vast experience writing and editing regional newspapers. I have written and produced popular Museum magazines. There are examples of my work on the Archive page.
Prize-winning authors and broadcasters I have hosted for 'in conversation' events include Adam Nicolson, Sarah Gristwood, Alex Preston, Dr Helen Fry, Robert Sackville-West, The Reverend Fergus Butler-Gallie, Jan Leeming,
Dr Helen Doe and Professor Richard Morris.
As a public speaker, I have presented talk events at the prestigious Bentley Priory Museum, Benenden School, bookshops, and at private clubs and societies across the UK.
East Grinstead Chequer Mead Theatre & Arts Centre
Bentley Priory Museum
TO BOOK ME FOR A TALK OR EVENT, PLEASE USE THE CONTACT ME FORM.
BOOKS
TO BUY A SIGNED COPY OF ANY OF MY BOOKS PLEASE CONTACT ME
Love as Strong as Death: Ravilious, The Pilot and the Missing Aircraft
Just after dawn on September 2, 1942, Eric Ravilious became the first war artist to disappear in action. He was on board a Hudson aircraft which took off from a remote RAF Coastal Command airfield in Iceland. Among the four-man crew was the pilot Flight Lieutenant Alfred "Ginge" Culver DFM. The aircraft was never seen or heard from again, sparking one of the greatest mysteries of the Second World War. Now, through the pilot's personal letters and the evocative art of Ravilious, this book revisits their lives, loves and legacy.
"This book is a triumph. Melody writes so well about my father. It is a compelling read and so beautifully crafted" - Anne Ullmann (née Ravilious).
"An amazing book" - Dr Helen Fry.
"A wonderful read" - Andy Saunders.
Review:
Daily Express
Dad’s Army Goes to War: The Cast and their Real Wartime Service
While the classic evergreen BBC comedy show Dad's Army continues to entertain millions of viewers around the world, the true story of the military service of the cast and crew was far from humourous. We discover that actors Arnold Ridley OBE and John Laurie continued to suffer from the horrors they experienced at the Somme during the First World War, while from 1941-1945 Clive Dunn was a Prisoner-of-War enduring hardship and starvation. The forward to this book is written by the late Ian Lavender (Private Pike).
"An enthralling and compelling insight into the true wartime experiences of the nation's much-loved stars of Dad's Army" - Dr Helen Fry.
From the Battlefield to the Big Screen: Audie Murphy, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Dirk Bogarde in the Second World War
Look closely behind the lives of the stars who appeared in a host of legendary war films and discover how memories of their real-life wartime experiences in the armed forces were haunted by heartbreak and yet filled with extraordinary heroism. This book, inspired by the author's association and study of Sir Dirk Bogarde, explores the screen idols who showed true grit behind the glamour.
"A splendidly interesting tale of service and silver screen stardom" - Britain at War magazine.
"Melody Foreman is passionate about her subject and has written an absorbing account detailing the wartime adventures of some of cinema's most loved stars" - Will Iredale.
The Wreck Hunter: Battle of Britain & The Blitz
This exclusive biography about aviation archaeologist Terry Parsons reveals the true story behind his dedicated mission spanning six decades to unearth the wrecks of RAF and Luftwaffe fighter and bomber aircraft of 1940 and beyond. This illustrated book also brings alive the memory of the valiant aircrews and pays tribute to the families they left behind.
"This is a stand-out biography, packed with anecdotes, and told in an engaging way with plenty of new information and a refreshing new perspective of the air war over Britain in 1940" - Britain at War magazine
Review: AviationBookReviews.Com
A Spitfire Girl: One of the World’s Greatest female ATA Ferry Pilots tells her story.
This is a compelling biography of Mary (Wilkins) Ellis, a farmer's daughter from Oxfordshire, who served as a pilot with quiet fortitude and great skill in the Air Transport Auxiliary during the Second World War. Having left all the glamour and publicity to her colleagues during those years, she now reveals all about her action-packed flying career which spanned a century of aviation. From Tiger Moths to Hurricanes, Spitfires and Wellington Bombers, Mary flew seventy-six different types of aircraft and in the early 1960s became Europe's first female air commandant.
"Well written, witty, and invites you into a world of brave pilots who did an essential job in dangerous times" - Daily Express.
Reviews: Britain At War History Today
Why not join 2,800 followers of A Spitfire Girl Facebook page
I have also contributed to books about Canterbury and Kent in the Francis Frith Collection.
NEWS
NEXT EVENT: October 8, 2026
Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft
In-conversation and Book-signing
with author Melody Foreman, Fighting High Publisher Steve Darlow,
and Carol Lockwood, daughter of pilot Flt. Lt. Alfred Culver DFM.
Towner Cinema, College Road, Eastbourne.
August 2026
No Husband Required, I Fly A Spitfire
I spoke to The Arts Society (Weybridge) about Spitfire Girl Mary Ellis,
at St Mark's Church, Whiteley Village, Surrey,
Duxford July 4-5, 2026
I was at the Duxford Air Show on 4-5 July signing copies of my latest book
Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft.
Signing copies of my latest book
With pilot Amanda Harrison
With Fighting High Books publisher
and author Steve Darlow
June 2026
My latest book Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft is now available
from Fighting High Books, all good bookshops, and Amazon.
May 2026
In this podcast interview with Steve Darlow of Fighting High Books I discuss my approach
to writing, and the themes of each of my books including my new 2026 non-fiction title
Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft.
April 2026
The Music of Words: the Films of Powell and Pressburger
I spoke to the Arts Society (Dover, Deal & Sandwich) about the creative genius of Powell and Pressburger,
and how they produced memorable and effective propaganda films of the Second World War.
October 2025
Talking books and films with BAFTA award winning artist and director Margy Kinmonth of Foxtrot Films. Margy's epic 2022 documentary Drawn to War is based on the life and times of the war artist Eric Ravilious who features in my new
non-fiction title,
Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft.
PLOTTING THE COURSE OF VICTORY
In the May 2025 issue of Britain At War magazine, former WAAF Mary James speaks exclusively to Melody Foreman about her years as a plotter, how she watched history unfold before her - and how she came to believe Rommel was
"a good German".
D-DAY'S MASTER STORYTELLER
In the January 2025 issue of Britain At War magazine, Melody Foreman delves into the mind of British author Alexander Baron whose experiences during the D-Day landings shaped his trilogy of classic war novels.
LECTURES & EVENTS 2026-2027
February 21, 2026
A Spitfire Girl
St Wilfred's Church Hall, Hailsham, Sussex.
The Civil Aviation Trust.
March 18, 2026
A Spitfire Girl
Otford Village Hall, Kent.
Otford & District Historical Society.
March 25, 2026
Sip, Paint and Relax experience
Wayfarer Vineyard, Woodchurch, Kent.
Presented by The Art of Calm and Wayfarer Wines.
April 7, 2026
The Music of Words: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
The Guildhall, Sandwich, Kent.
The Arts Society (Dover, Deal & Sandwich).
April 16, 2026
The Art of Dirk Bogarde
Memorial Hall, The Tye, Alfriston, East Sussex.
The Alfriston & Cuckmere Valley Historical Society.
May 29, 2026
Dad's Army Goes to War: The cast and their real wartime service
Otford Village Hall.
The 1940s Society.
June 9, 2026
No Husband Required, I Fly A Spitfire
Chequer Mead Theatre & Arts Centre, East Grinstead, Sussex.
The Arts Society (East Grinstead).
June 17, 2026
No Husband Required, I Fly a Spitfire
Holcombe Hockey Club, Curtis Way, Rochester, Kent.
The Royal Aeronautical Society, Medway Branch.
July 4-5 2026
I shall be at the Duxford Air Show signing copies of my latest book
Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft.
August 12, 2026
No Husband Required, I Fly A Spitfire
St Mark's Church, Whiteley Village, Surrey.
The Arts Society (Weybridge).
September 8, 2026
Dad's Army Goes To War
Hythe Bay Church of England Primary School, Cinque Ports Avenue, Hythe, Kent
Hythe Civic Society
September 10, 2026
A Spitfire Girl
Masonic Hall, High Street, Dymchurch, Kent.
Dymchurch Synners WI.
September 19, 2026
Dad's Army Goes to War
Jean Mealham Centre, Woodchurch, Kent.
September 25, 2026
A Spitfire Girl
Isle of Wight Aviation Museum, Sandown, IoW.
October 8, 2026
Love As Strong As Death: Ravilious, The Pilot And The Missing Aircraft
In-conversation and Book-signing
with author Melody Foreman, Fighting High Publisher Steve Darlow,
and Carol Lockwood, daughter of pilot Flt. Lt. Alfred Culver DFM.
Towner Cinema, College Road, Eastbourne.
October 14, 2026
From the Battlefield to the Big Screen:
Audie Murphy, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Dirk Bogarde in the Second World War
The Memorial Hall, Egerton, Kent.
The Arts Society (Egerton).
October 26, 2026
Ravilious, The Pilot and The Missing Aircraft
The Town Hall, Tenterden.
Tenterden & District Local History Society.
February 24, 2027
A Spitfire Girl
Hartfield Village Hall, East Sussex.
Hartfield History Society.
April 21, 2027
Ravilious, The Pilot and The Missing Aircraft
The Community Centre, Cornwalls Meadow, Buckingham.
The Arts Society (Buckingham)
September 20, 2027
No Husband Required, I Fly a Spitfire
Beechwood Hall, Barming, Maidstone, Kent.
Maidstone Invicta u3a.
