This year marks the 100th
anniversary of Harry Brearley’s invention of stainless steel in Sheffield. Using information unearthed from the
archives, we decided to bring Harry’s remarkable story to life by asking
professional storyteller and writer Andy Messer to give a costumed performance at
schools across Sheffield.
Dressed in a brown suit, hat
and round spectacles, our ‘Harry Brearley’ visited school assemblies across the
city to tell the story of his rise from cellar lad at Firth’s steelworks, the
danger of assassination he faced working in Riga at the height of the Russian
Revolution, and his accidental discovery of ‘rustless’ steel in Sheffield in
1913. The performances were interactive
with pupils and teachers becoming part of this fast-paced tale.
Feedback from head teachers
has been fantastic: ‘Andy's presentation of the story of Harry Brearley was
excellent! It was action packed,
educational and fun. The children were
enthralled and I was amazed how he managed to convey so many years, events and
countries all by himself at the front of our school hall.’ Almost 3,000 Sheffield school children have now
seen the performance. Sadly it’s time
for Harry to return to the archives, but we hope his story will be remembered
for years to come.
