Fiona Ritchie Walker

Thanks to an invitation from Appletree Writers, I started with two poems about my grandfather and ended up with a full show for the Edinburgh Fringe and then a book!

Taking Aim uses poetry and short stories to explore the life of my Montrose grandfather, Peter Charles Bert Ritchie, his role in a WW1 firing squad - and the significance of a cigarette packet changing hands 100 years ago.

You can read more about the original event here.

I've read Taking Aim at the Lit and Phil in Newcastle, Montrose and Arbroath Libraries and the CoastWord Festival in Dunbar. In 2022 I read at Montrose Playhouse and I’m always happy to share these stories. Please contact me if you'd be interested in a reading in your area.

Thanks to my nephew, Chris Tomlinson, for designing the cover.

(The book is now out of print.)

My grandfather was good with his hands,

eye on the sight,

finger on the trigger,

this time no ducks or pheasants,

just a square of white

across a young man's heart.