Wednesday 18 February 2026

10:00

Masonic Hall

Uncle Sam’s Roots in East Anglia

Speaker: Roger Pugh

Roger original hails from Norfolk and over the years interested himself in local history. He has written three books on the subject. His Book on "Uncle Sam" was largely written because he was astonished to find Americans of his acquaintance were almost totally ignorant of their country's origins.

His book is a vivid account of the epic contribution made by the people of East Anglia and Lincolnshire to the history of Colonial America and the USA. No other five British counties have gifted such a band of fascinating characters to the New World – many great, many good and, it must be confessed, a handful bad and ugly!

His talk to us will be based on his book. Roger thinks many of our members will find in the talk not a few things which will surprise/interest them as well e.g. the 'scandalous and malignant' East Anglian priest who was President George Washington's direct ancestor, the traitorous tax collector from Norfolk who came up with the very name 'the United States of America', the East Anglian troops who helped to burn down the White House and the rest of governmental Washington in 1814, the East Anglian man who, with another British man founded Harley Davidson motorbikes etc.etc……

We await Roger’s talk will much interest!.