
The Last Bantam is a solo play written and performed by Michael Hughes. It recounts the story of Patrick Michael Wolfe, an Irish teacher who serves with the Bantam battalions during World War I. Bantams were a group of men between five feet and five feet three inches in height, recruited from Britain, Ireland, and Canada, and given their name after the fierce animal, the rooster.
Wolfe’s experiences on the Western Front in France and later in Dublin during the Easter Rising. The play draws on Hughes’research.
Paul Levy spoke with Michael about the origins of the show, the research he undertook, and its arrival at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025.