Upcoming: Annual Commemoration of the Fatal Battle of Maiwand
The Afghanistan Perceivers will meet at 5 p.m. on 23 July (a Thursday) at Roka, 1616 S. Utica Ave. in Tulsa, for our annual commemoration of the Fatal Battle of Maiwand, where John H. Watson is severely wounded and rescued by the orderly Murray (at left). Watson's horrific recovery and medical challenges force him to return to England.
In London, he meets Sherlock Holmes, whose first words to his eventual best friend and longtime roommate are, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive."
We will have cocktails and conversation before a short lecture by Brian Wilson, Perceivers president, about the significance of the war on the Sherlockian canon, particularly Watson's participation in Holmes's cases and the tone of his narration.
We will order dinner around 6 p.m., during which we will toast Holmes, Watson, the Jezail bullet, the Afghan sniper, Bobbie the fice (an actual Maiwand hero), Murray, his pack horse and any others. We need volunteers to toast these notable figures.
RSVP by 16 July so we can give Roka an accurate count. Please email [email protected] with your responses, questions and objects of toasts.
In London, he meets Sherlock Holmes, whose first words to his eventual best friend and longtime roommate are, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive."
We will have cocktails and conversation before a short lecture by Brian Wilson, Perceivers president, about the significance of the war on the Sherlockian canon, particularly Watson's participation in Holmes's cases and the tone of his narration.
We will order dinner around 6 p.m., during which we will toast Holmes, Watson, the Jezail bullet, the Afghan sniper, Bobbie the fice (an actual Maiwand hero), Murray, his pack horse and any others. We need volunteers to toast these notable figures.
RSVP by 16 July so we can give Roka an accurate count. Please email [email protected] with your responses, questions and objects of toasts.
Annual Fete for Queen Victoria's and ACD's Birthdays
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Ten Afghanistan Perceivers (pictured at right) met at Nothing's Left Brewery in the Pearl District on Satruday (23 May) to celebrate the birthdays of Queen Victoria (24 May 1819) and Arthur Conan Doyle (22 May 1859).
Brandi Blankenship (the Perceivers' canonical names chair), Laura Bottoms, Sally Cannizzaro, Dean Clark (the Perceivers' libations chair), Catherine Gatchell, Jane Langston (Privy Council emerita), Nancy Laughrey, Christopher Rapp and Dena Shea heard Perceivers president Brian Wilson's short talk (attached at right) on the Victorian Era linking the queen, Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson together. Those in attendance were blissfully polite and mellow after having several Rockford lagers, (arguably) Nothing's Left's best brew, so Wilson only had to endure one heckler. No formal toasts were made, but the two-plus hours of conversation amounted to prolonged praise for the birthday kids (Vic and Artie), as well as for Holmes and Watson. Amid the discussions, we learned why relative newcomers Dena Shea and Sally Cannizzaro are Sherlockians, and we all hope they continue to participate in and contribute to Oklahoma's only scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars. As usual, our knowledgeable group brought up numerous references that some might find interesting to explore:
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Those attending were (left to right) Sally Cannizzaro, Dena Shea, Jane Langston, Laura Bottoms, Christopher Rapp, Brandi Blankenship, Catherine Gatchell, Dean Clark, Brian Wilson and Nancy Laughrey.
Queen Victoria
Arthur Conan Doyle
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January 2026: Sherlock Holmes-William Gillette Tributes
At Gillette Avenue in Tulsa's historic Kendall-Whittier district, (front row) Nancy Laughrey, Lynn Westbrook, Jane Langston, (back row) Mike McKeon, Scott Wilson, Dean Clark and Brooks Williamson hold their hot beverages to toast William Gillette, who enacted Sherlock Holmes about 1,300 times in his long career. Gillette's 1899 play and 1916 silent movie popularized Sherlock Holmes in the United States and the world.
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 William Gillette
Eleven Afghanistan Perceivers, including newest member Dena Shea, kicked off 2026 with our annual celebration of Sherlock Holmes's birthday. While the Great One was probably born 6 Jan. 1854, we gathered on 10 Jan. for a special event at the Kendall-Whittier public library.
Founding member Dean Clark, second-oldest member Jane Langston, Brooks Williamson, Mike McKeon, Nancy Laughrey, Lynn Westbrook, Dena Shea, treasurer/social media wench Sarah Wilson, Scott Wilson and Barbara Wilson listened to president Brian Wilson's lecture about William Gillette, the actor who primarily helped to popularize Holmes in the United States. Gillette's 1916 film Sherlock Holmes, based upon his 1899 play by the same name, was thought to have been lost until a print was found in France in 2014. Mark Gatiss, who played Mycroft Holmes and was a primary writer on the BBC Sherlock series, drove and helped to finance the restoration of the film. Brian Wilson discussed the film, its groundbreaking effects and Gillette, whose influence on global theater and eventually famous actors is considerable. After viewing the film, we went two blocks west to Gillette Avenue, where we toasted Gillette with hot tea and hot chocolate, both of which may have had adult-strength additives. After that tribute, we repaired a half-mile down Admiral Boulevard to Heirloom Rustic Ales to toast Sherlock Holmes's birthday. Lynn Westbrook was invested with the canonical name Theresa Wright. |
December 2025: Annual Blue Carbuncle Gathering
Eight Afghanistan Perceivers gathered on 20 Dec. at a Rib Crib in Tulsa to hear humorous excerpts from "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle," the only Sherlock Holmes story set a Christmastime. Since one goose is pivotal to the plot and another goose is consumed, group president Brian Wilson roasted a goose and served each participant several slices of the bird.