BMMHS Village Hall Meeting: The Battle of Jutland: Wednesday 11th October 2023 7:30pm

Wednesday 11th October; 7:30pm

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BMMHS Meeting Venue

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

The Battle of Jutland

 Peter Wilkinson

Peter’s talk will focus on the following key areas:-

  • Jutland – One battle;  two different strategies
  • “There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today” 
  • The missed opportunities
  • So, who won?
Battle of Jutland
David Beatty, commander of the British battlecruiser fleet. Source Wiki
Battle of Jutland
Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Commander in Chief of the Grand Fleet. IWM Q 55499
Battle of Jutland
Franz Hipper, commander of the German battlecruiser squadron. Source Wiki
Battle of Jutland
Invincible blowing up after being struck by shells from Lützow and Derfflinger. Source Wiki
Battle of Jutland
HMS Warspite and Malaya, seen from HMS Valiant at around 14:00 hrs. Source Wiki
Battle of Jutland
BeBeatty's flagship HMS Lion burning after being hit by a salvo from SMS Lützowatty's flagship HMS Lion burning after being hit by a salvo from SMS Lützow. Source Wiki

About the speaker - Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB, CVO

Peter Wilkinson joined the Royal Navy in 1975 as a University Cadet, studying at the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and St David’s College, Lampeter.

On completion of training he joined submarines as soon as he could and served in both diesel and nuclear submarines before being selected to attend the Commanding Officers Qualifying Course in 1987.  After completing the course he commanded HM Submarines Otter, Superb and Vanguard before completing his operational career as Captain of the Second Submarine Squadron based in Devonport.

He then undertook a range of staff appointments in London and Portsmouth, working for both the First and Second Sea Lords and the Chief of the Defence Staff.  He retired from the Royal Navy in 2010. 

Subsequently, he was Clerk to the Worshipful Company of Cooks (a London Livery Company) for 11 years. From 2012-2016 he was National President of the Royal British Legion and he has recently chaired an appeal to build a new submarine memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

He and his wife Tracey live at Warsash in Hampshire and have two adult daughters, Kate and Hilary.

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BMMHS Village Hall Meeting: Hunting Evil: Wednesday 14th June 2023 7:30pm

Guy Walters Hunting Evil

Wednesday 14th June; 7:30pm

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BMMHS Meeting Venue

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

Hunting Evil

Guy Walters

We are delighted to welcome the return of Guy following his previous talk on The Real Great Escape in 2022.

Click above for more details

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BMMHS Village Hall Meeting: Lawrence of Arabia: Wednesday 10th May 2023 7:30pm

Lawrence of Arabia

Wednesday 15th March; 7:30pm

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BMMHS Meeting Venue

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

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BMMHS Village Hall Meeting: The Glider Pilot Regiment: Wednesday 12th April 2023 7:30pm

Wednesday 15th March; 7:30pm

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BMMHS Meeting Venue

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

The Glider Pilot Regiment – Silently To War

 Tony Bray
In the dark days of 1940 Britain and the Commonwealth stood very much alone. Most of Europe was enslaved by the Nazis. The miracle  evacuation from Dunkirk had returned over 338,000 soldiers back to Britain but with very little equipment.  The Royal Navy was doing a wonderful job of commanding the seas, and the Royal Air Force was about the fight and win the Battle of Britain. The Prime Minister,  Winston Churchill, was anxious that Britain should develop ways of striking at the enemy, and he ordered that 5,000 parachute troops should be recruited and trained.
 
It was quickly realised that developing a well trained parachute force alone would not be enough. Parachute troops, who are often landed well behind the front line, can carry limited amounts of heavy weapons and supplies. To be effective they would need to have weapons and logistical support landing with them. How could that be done?
 
The talk starts with a short background outlining how the airborne forces, both parachute and glider-borne, were developed in 1940. He will introduce the four main military gliders used by the Allies – from doing glider conversion training in the Hotspur, to the massive tank-carrying Hamilcar and also explain how the future pilots of the Glider Pilot Regiment were selected and trained.
 
The session will include an explanation of what it was like to fly a Horsa glider into Normandy just after midnight on 6thJune 1944, to seize the bridge over the Caen Canal at Benouville, later to be called Pegasus Bridge. This will include the overall story to the experiences of individual soldiers and some recently-recorded interviews with four of our veterans, as they tell you what it was like to fly these huge gliders into a live battlefield.
 
You will hear how the developing skills of the glider pilots were matched by the improved operational effectiveness of the Airborne Divisions, from the disappointing invasion of Sicily in July 1943, to the successful crossing of the Rhine in March 1945. Then hear how the Glider Pilot Regiment morphed into the modern Army Air Corps.
Horsa glider Glider Pilots having a cup of tea from the Church Army Mobile Canteen.
D-Day Glider
D-DAY - BRITISH FORCES DURING THE INVASION OF NORMANDY 6 JUNE 1944 (H 39178) Airborne troops of 6th Airlanding Brigade admire the graffiti chalked on the side of their Horsa glider at an RAF airfield as they prepare to fly out to Normandy as part of 6th Airborne Division's second lift on the evening of 6 June 1944. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205201805
Tony grew up in Thatcham and attended Newbury Grammar School. As a keen cyclist, and member of Newbury Road Club, he toured most of the local byways surrounding Newbury and Reading.  From school Tony went to Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Corps of Transport.
 
After leaving the army he was a manager in BT and his final role in the BT Management College naturally led to going freelance. He continues to enjoy providing clients with varied training and consultancy services. Along the way he has written over 20 books on management and training.
 
Tony has had a life-long interest in aviation since first flying solo in a glider at 16, then later qualifying as a private pilot, and then returned to gliding at Lasham. 
 
His interest in the Glider Pilot Regiment grew naturally from his military and aviation experiences, prompted by publication of the book A Bridge Too Far. In addition to visiting many of the mainstream military sites in Northern Europe, he has also been to some less well known, notably Masada and Oradour-sur-Glane.
Tony Bray

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BMMHS Village Hall Meeting: The Role of the Medic in Modern Warfare

Wednesday 15th March; 7:30pm

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

The Role of the Medic in Modern Warfare

by Col David Vassallo
David’s talk will be very much an overview of developments over past and recent conflicts, highlighting key lessons relevant to today – and to tomorrow, as a prelude to Chris Parry’s very timely talk on 4th April ‘The War in Ukraine’.

 

Serving as a Medical Orderly attached to 1st Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, 19-year-old Private Michelle Norris climbs onto a Warrior armoured vehicle, under sustained sniper fire, to treat the gravely wounded commander. For her selfless bravery Private Norris became the first female to be awarded the Military Cross. June 11th 2006, Al-Amarah, Iraq.

About the speaker - Col (retd) David Vassallo

David Vassallo, originally from Malta, is a consultant military general surgeon who served for 35 eventful years in the Royal Army Medical Corps before retiring in 2018. He has extensive field hospital experience in war zones, his first deployment being to the First Gulf War, followed by multiple tours in Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.
 
David has a passion for military and military medical history, attested by three books and many articles, as well as chapters on the history of Operations Telic and Herrick for the official medical history of these campaigns. He has a Masters in the History of Warfare from King’s College London, his dissertation being on the transformation of the UK’s Defence Medical Services in recent conflict. His talk ‘The role of the medic in modern warfare’ will draw on his deep insights into historical developments and lessons that have materially influenced the saving of life on the battlefield and beyond, and their relevance for today’s conflicts – and tomorrow’s.
 
He is now Chairman, Friends of Millbank (the former Royal Army Medical College in London), whose website www.friendsofmillbank.org is full of historical resources. He organises monthly talks, open to all, which celebrate the history, achievements and ongoing relevance of military medicine. BMMHS members are especially welcome at these talks.
 
David also actively promotes the BMMHS three-volume series ‘Glimpses of War’ through the Friends of Millbank website, see  https://www.friendsofmillbank.org/gow/

 

His chosen charity is the Museum of Military Medicine – he is raising funds for this Museum’s forthcoming move from Aldershot to a stunning new location in Cardiff Bay in 2023.

Funds raised from this talk will go to the Museum of Military Medicine – These funds help to support the Museum’s  move to a stunning new location in Cardiff Bay in 2024.

Col (retd) David Vassallo FRCSEd MA L/RAMC

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BMMHS Village Hall Meeting: After the Atomic Bomb – Savage Wars of Peace: Wednesday 15th February 2023 7:30pm

Wednesday 15th February; 7:30pm

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BMMHS Meeting Venue

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

After the Atomic Bomb

Savage Wars of Peace

 Mike Tickner

The war in the Far East ended abruptly, violently and chaotically following the nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  While the Imperial Japanese Army had been defeated in Burma and was losing the war in the Pacific, her army in Malaya, Hong Kong, French Indo-China, the Netherlands East Indies, Manchuria and Siam was undefeated.  Many of these countries saw the end of the war as their chance for independence and Gurkha, Indian and British troops became responsible for restoring colonial rule and became locked into open combat.  The Allies’ most pressing task was recovering their prisoners of wars and civilian internees knowing little about their condition or locations in camps across South East Asia, China and Japan.  Japan’s sudden surrender created a seismic resetting of the political and social order in the Far East as power vacuums were exploited for political gain and rapid decisions were made with consequences which reverberate today.

Please note that this talk replaces the Saul David’s talk on the SBS. Saul asked us to re-schedule due a book signing in the US. Thank you to Mike for stepping in at short notice.

Savage wars of peace
Savage wars of peace
Savage wars of peace
Savage wars of peace

Mike Tickner has a long term interest in the British Army in India and particularly the Far East campaigns.  He regularly gives talks to military and civilian groups, clubs and museums, has led battlefield studies and writes the occasional article.

Mike’s chosen charity -The Kohima Museum in York

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