Calendar of Events

Last Meeting: The sad case of Signalman Taylor – The story of a remarkable murder court-martial

Court martial panel

Wednesday 13th  November 2019   7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,RG8 0QY

Speaker:  Major-General Gordon Risius

Former senior British Army officer and lawyer who served as Director of the Army Legal Services Branch.

Next Meeting: Colditz : Beyond and Behind the Myths.

Wednesday 11th  December 2019   7.30pm

Venue:

The Main Hall

Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,RG8 0QY

Speaker:  David Ray

Historian, author & founder of  The Colditz Society

Allied officers at Colditz Castle (1941)
Entry cost is just £8, payable on the door,  and will include the talk and a Q & A, drinks, light snacks (sandwiches etc.) and a contribution to a military charity. Car parking is available on site.
 

Due to high demand and in order to secure a seats for BMMHS events, please contact us on info@bmmhs.org and we will confirm availability.  There will only be a limited number of unreserved seats available at the door.

Once you have registered your interest for a talk directly with us via info@bmmhs.org we will confirm your reservation. 
 
We look forward to welcoming you to our meeting.
SIGNAL CITY; WHERE THE WRENS HANDLE THE NAVY'S SECRET MESSAGES. OCTOBER 1942, GREENOCK. SIGNAL CITY, THE BUSIEST NAVAL STATION OUTSIDE THE ADMIRALTY, IS SITUATED IN THE GROUNDS OF AN OLD HOUSE IN THE NORTH. 200 WRENS WORK THERE, UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE SIGNAL COMMANDER, ALONG WITH A FEW NAVAL SIGNALMEN. THE WRENS: WIRELESS TELEPHONISTS, CYPHER OFFICERS, TELEPRINT OPERATORS, DISPATCH RIDERS, ETC HANDLE HUNDREDS OF VITAL MESSAGES DAILY. SIGNAL CITY WAS SPECIALLY DESIGNED BY THE SIGNAL COMMANDER. (A 13711) Teleprinting plays an important part in the network of naval communications. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205146982
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Meeting: Air-to-Air refuelling during the Falklands Campaign and for the period 1982-84 

Vulcan XH558 and a Victor K2 re-enact a Black Buck sortie for the cameras. Cliff Knox

Wednesday 15th January 2020   7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

Speaker:   Group Captain David Drew  RAF Pilot  ret’d, County Chairman, Royal British Legion

The Falklands Conflict, Victor refuelling aircraft.
Pilot’s eye view of a Victor with refuelling line extended – on Black Buck raids the refuelling was done in the dark and with radio silence. François Prins
Meeting:  Our Man in Hamburg; A true spy story of WW2
Walter Dicketts, World War 2 spy driving his boat in England 1945. Source: doubleagentcelery.com

Wednesday 5th February 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

Spy, lover, scoundrel: Walter Dicketts with his fourth wife Judith, son Robert & a Rolls-Royce

Speaker:

Robert Dicketts   Historian

Agent Celery
Meeting: Sir John Slessor – An unsung Cold War Strategist and his role as the architect of British Airborne Nuclear Deterrence.
Cold War Vulcan
Vulcan bombers from RAF Waddington flying in formation in 1957. Source: RAF, MOD

Wednesday 11th March 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

Speaker:

Bill Pyke: Historian and  researcher specialising in the  Cold War,  

Squadron Leader Ulf Burberry’s crew run towards a Handley Page Victor of No. 15 (XV) Squadron during a demonstration scramble at RAF Cottesmore, June © IWM, RAF-T 1018
Meeting: Amateur Soldiering Tradition in Britain & the Empire 1899-1945 – The Role of Colonial & Dominion Soldiers WW1 & WW2
EMPIRE FORCES IN GREAT BRITAIN 1939-1945 Troops and nursing sisters of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force line the rails of a troopship as it docks at Gourock on the Clyde, 19 June 1940. @ IWM H1821

Wednesday 8th April 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

Speaker:

Professor Gary Sheffield, Department of war Studies Wolverhampton University

Meeting:

The Battle of The Atlantic: The Turning Point.

Feeding 45 Millions - Food Convoy: A convoy of merchant ships accompanied by a Naval escort. © IWM.

Wednesday 13th May 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

ON BOARD A BRITISH CORVETTE ON CONVOY. JANUARY 1942, ON BOARD HMS PENSTEMON, ON CONVOY TO GIBRALTAR. (A 7376) Lieut Cdr John Byron, RN, Commanding Officer of the corvette on the bridge of the ship while at sea on convoy duty. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205141462

Speaker:

Robin Brodhurst: Historian and author 

U 673 being hunted with depth charges in April 1944, Depth 240m. Source Lara Winkelsdork @winkelsdorf

Meeting:

Cold War – RN Submarine Operations

Cold War Royal Navy Submarine operations
HMS Courageous

Wednesday 10th June 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

Cold War Royal Navy Submarine operations
HMS Oracle at the North Pole

Speaker:

Chris Munns: Former captain of HMS Courageous

Cold War Royal Navy Submarine operations
Soviet TU 142

Meeting:

Rout on the Riviera – Operation Tiger, the Slapton Sands disaster

Exercise Tiger Slip-on Sands
LCI(L) 525 and other landing craft about to disembark US troops at Slapton Sands in Devon during an invasion exercise in the spring of 1944. In the foreground, engineers construct a slat and wire roadway over the sand and shingle for vehicle use. Above, a barrage balloon flies from one of the LCTs. © IWM (EN 23841)

Wednesday 8th July 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

D-Day Preparations
A US officer checks a line-up of newly delivered M4 Sherman tanks at a supply depot in Britain, 1944. US Public Domain (IWM NYT 12387)

Speaker:

Paul Barnett: Historian and Author

ALLIED PREPARATIONS FOR D-DAY
American medical troops, part of Force 'U' destined for UTAH, embarking onto LST 374 (Landing Ship Tank) at Brixham in Devon, May/June 1944. US Public Domain ((IWM EA 25460)

Meeting:

Taranto, the sinking of the Italian fleet in WW2.

Taranto the sinking of the Italian fleet in World war Two
The raid on Taranto as depicted by a Robert Taylor painting.

Wednesday 9th September 2020  7.30pm

Venue: Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote,  RG8 0QY

Taranto – The Sinking of The Italian Fleet
Taranto – The Sinking of The Italian Fleet

Speaker:

Paul Beaver: Broadcaster, Aviation Historian Author

Paul Beaver
The Air Transport Auxiliary: unsung heroes of World War II
Spanish Civil War
Lawrence of Arabia
Other talks already booked include the Air Transport Auxiliary, the Spanish Civil War and Lawrence of Arabia.

Watch this space!   

SIGNAL CITY; WHERE THE WRENS HANDLE THE NAVY'S SECRET MESSAGES. OCTOBER 1942, GREENOCK. SIGNAL CITY, THE BUSIEST NAVAL STATION OUTSIDE THE ADMIRALTY, IS SITUATED IN THE GROUNDS OF AN OLD HOUSE IN THE NORTH. 200 WRENS WORK THERE, UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE SIGNAL COMMANDER, ALONG WITH A FEW NAVAL SIGNALMEN. THE WRENS: WIRELESS TELEPHONISTS, CYPHER OFFICERS, TELEPRINT OPERATORS, DISPATCH RIDERS, ETC HANDLE HUNDREDS OF VITAL MESSAGES DAILY. SIGNAL CITY WAS SPECIALLY DESIGNED BY THE SIGNAL COMMANDER. (A 13711) Teleprinting plays an important part in the network of naval communications. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205146982
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