FREE ENTRY & KINDLY HOSTED BY THE STAFFORDSHIRE FILM ARCHIVE

7.45pm. Bar open from 7.00pm. Ticket-free – No booking required. Free parking adjacent to Film Theatre - enter from College Road opposite Queen Anne Street.

ABOUT THE FILM
After a successfully funded Kickstarter Campaign and Premiere in Belfast back in October, Squeaky Pedal and the Staffordshire Film Archive are proud to host the Midlands premiere of 'Finding Wee Paddy' at the Stoke Film Theatre.

OFFICIAL SELECTION: BELFAST FILM FESTIVAL 2018

On the 24th October 1937, 25-year-old Rifleman Patrick McGowan of Londonderry was killed by fire from a Japanese aircraft whilst out on patrol with the Royal Ulster Rifles in Shanghai. His death sent shockwaves around the globe, causing a political outcry as the world teetered on the brink of international conflict.

This documentary tells two incredible stories. That of Patrick McGowan who escaped a troubled upbringing only to be tragically killed by a Japanese force testing the crumbling British Empire’s resolve in the Far East. We will explain why Patrick was sent to Shanghai, and how his death not only plunged Anglo-Japanese relations to a new low, but also created one last flowering of solidarity and comradeship between the remaining great powers before the carnage of the Second World War and the huge commitment Sara made to her Uncle, and the journey she went on to find him.