Our 2027 BMMHS Talk Programme Is Complete! We’re delighted to announce that the BMMHS programme of talks is now complete! We have an exciting year ahead, featuring a fantastic variety of military history topics, fascinating stories, fresh perspectives and some excellent speakers. From the battlefields of earlier conflicts to the...
Read MoreA not-for profit society raising funds for military charities
Welcome to the British Modern Military History Society.
We organise monthly talks for anyone interested in military history over the last 200 years from Nelson’s times to the present day.
With top quality talks given by writers, academics, former military personnel, and experts in their field with a wide variety of topics, we are based in Woodcote Village Hall RG8 0QY (near Wallingford) in South Oxfordshire. We can accommodate up to 100 people in pleasant surroundings, offering a warm and welcoming evening out. BMMHS is not a membership society so please feel free to join our talks and for Village Hall Meetings – just pay on the door.
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Upcoming Zoom Talks and Village Hall Meetings
Tuesday 1st December 7:30pm
Long Range Desert Group
Pirates of the Desert
The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) was a specialised reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during World War II. Founded by Major Ralph Bagnold in Egypt in June 1940, the unit comprised of an Imperial melting pot of volunteers and played a crucial role in the Desert Campaign between 1940 and 1943, conducting deep penetration and reconnaissance missions behind Axis lines in North Africa.
The talk includes the LRDG’s foundation and the development of its desert expertise, innovative tactics, and operations in the desert, including their use of modified vehicles, navigation, and communications. Their ability to operate independently for long periods of time behind enemy lines made them a formidable force in the North African theatre.
The presentation will also cover some of the LRDG’s daring raids, its relationship with the SAS and its vital intelligence gathering which significantly contributed to the Allied victory in North Africa during World War II.
Finally, it will look at how the legacy of the Long Range Desert Group as a highly effective and resourceful unit has endured to this day, serving as a testament to the courage and ingenuity of the men who served in this elite unit and the lasting impact of the LRDG on modern special forces.
About the speaker – Jerry Cockeram – Chairman, BMMHS
Jerry has spent some 30 years working in IT, specialising in software and hardware sales. Alongside his professional career, he has always maintained a keen fascination with military history, an interest that led him to become one of the original founders of the British Modern Military History Society (BMMHS) in 2019. Having been involved with the Society since its inception he has recently taken on the role of Chairman.
Since its formation, he has been closely involved in developing the Society, bringing together speakers and enthusiasts to explore military history from the Napoleonic era to the present day.
He has also played an active role in BMMHS’s charitable fundraising through its publishing programme. As a member of the editorial team, he has helped produce three books in the Glimpses of War series, together with the Society’s latest publication, Articles of War. These publications have helped raise funds for military veterans’ charities.
Jerry is passionate about making military history accessible, sharing knowledge and ensuring that the stories and experiences of those who served are not forgotten.
Zoom talk - Payment and registration
Contact us on [email protected] to register for these Events and for Zoom talks the log-in details will be emailed to you on the morning of each talk. A donation of £5 is requested for each talk to cover things such as speaker costs, licence fees and donation to military charity.
Wednesday 9th December 7:30pm
Woodcote Village Hall, Reading Road, Woodcote, RG8 0QY
The White Lady – British Intelligence Networks Behind German Lines
Helen will speak about the two most important British Secret Service intelligence (MI6) networks behind the enemy lines in WWI and WWII. At the heart of MI6’s operations were the White Lady (‘La Dame Blanche’) and Clarence Service which operated in German-occupied Belgium. This is a compelling account of the agents who risked their lives and found ingenious ways to smuggle intelligence out of occupied Belgium. The men and women in the networks operated as agents, spies, couriers and heads of intelligence sectors. From knitting coded messages into jumpers, to running entire sections behind the German lines, agent handling and traditional spycraft that included messages in invisible ink. Operators in the field sent over 800 radio messages to London and delivered more than a thousand reports, including groundbreaking information on Hitler’s secret weapon the V-1. From her ground-breaking research, Helen will reveal an astonishing espionage history from her extensive research in Brussels and London.
ABOUT HELEN FRY
Historian Dr Helen Fry has written over 25 books on the Second World War, with particular reference to the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain, and also British intelligence, espionage and WWII. Her latest highly acclaimed book Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World War received the Silver Award from Military History Matters Book Award. Her bestselling books include The Walls have Ears about the secret wartime eavesdropping operation; also Spymaster: The Man who Saved MI6; and MI9 about the British Secret Service for escape and evasion in World War Two. She appears frequently in numerous TV documentaries, including covering the major anniversaries of D-Day for the BBC. In 2022 Helen was recognised as a woman of achievement at the Women of the Year Lunch Awards. In 2023 she received The Lifetime Achievement Award in Jewish Military History and Education. She is an ambassador for the Military Intelligence Museum; a trustee of the Friends of the Intelligence Corps and a trustee of the Medmenham Collection.
BMMHS Event Registration
Contact us on [email protected] to register for BMMHS Events and for Zoom talks the log-in details will be emailed to you on the morning of each talk.
BMMHS Village Hall Meeting Tickets
Entry cost is just £8, which includes your entry ticket to the talk, a Q & A, and refreshments (beer, wine, soft drinks). We ask for payment in advance. If you are unable to pay in advance there will be a facility to pay by cash or card on the door.
Entrance to village hall talks for students and under 21s is now free of charge.
Latest News
The Mau Mau Uprising: Counter-Insurgency in Kenya, 1952–1960
In October 1952, the British colonial government declared a State of Emergency in Kenya in response to an increasingly violent insurgency by the Mau Mau movement. What followed was one of Britain's most challenging and controversial counter-insurgency campaigns of the post-war era.
Read More
KG 200: The Luftwaffe’s Secret Special Operations Unit Revealed
James Goulty examines KG 200, the Luftwaffe’s secret special operations unit, responsible for clandestine agent insertions, intelligence missions, and experimental weapons like the Mistel aircraft. Discover the truth behind this elite formation.
Read More
Further Talks booked for 2028
Operation BANNER: The secretive world of intelligence, surveillance and counter-insurgency in Northern Ireland. Dien Bien Phu: A decisive conventional battle, the collapse of a colonial power and the origins of a conflict that would engulf America.
Read MoreWhat you are saying about BMMHS
"It was a lovely evening and fantastic atmosphere in the room. Very happy to come back in 2021 to speak on my (then) new book on MI9 escape and evasion."
"For anyone interested in Military History, the BMMHS is a must. The monthly meetings cover a wide range of topics, with high quality speakers giving thought-provoking talks. In addition, the quality of facility and refreshments is exceptional, and the audience interesting and welcoming. Highly recommended."
“Just wanted to say how impressed I was by the talk last night and indeed by the meeting itself – the first I’ve been able to attend. An excellent speaker and a well organised meeting!”
"…. We’re very impressed with the line-up of talks arranged for the next year and will endeavour to attend as many as possible ….
We found the ‘Arnhem’ talk most interesting – a very different ‘take’ on the topic from the usual battle on the ground analysis.
Congratulations to you, Nigel, Linda and the team, you’re doing a great job."
"If I may say so, the BMMHS's first few months have been most impressive and a testament to the hard work and enthusiasm the four of you have put in. Everything on Wednesday went well, turnout, seating, notice-boards, drinks and especially the food!
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"…I would like to thank you and your team for another great evening. The talk was brilliant… looking forward to the next one…"
"MANY THANKS for Wednesday night most enjoyable, met some nice chaps, have new dates on the calendar, looking forward to the next talk"
"As with the first BMMHS meeting I attended.... I really enjoyed last night’s presentation. You and your pals have done a great job in getting the BMMHS set up and running smoothly & efficiently, including an excellent website plus arranging for some really interesting presenters and subjects every month."
"A most amazing lecture. To say it was interesting is understating it - it was mind-blowing to think of the courage of those women, who agreed to be SOE agents, despite knowing what awaited them if they were found out. It was fascinating to hear what training they went through, and to learn what some of them did and how they ended up.
Many thanks for another brilliant lecture"
“ If you are like me, and you enjoy the study of a wide range of military history topics, with a bit if a twist, then BMMHS will be right up your street. With its informative panel of expert speakers and on occasion quirky topics, there is something for everyone interested in learning more of their military past. I can thoroughly recommend the BMMHS zoom talk experience. You won’t be disappointed!”
Village Hall FAQs
Venue Address
Woodcote Village Hall
Reading Road
South Oxfordshire
RG8 0QY
BMMHS Publications on Amazon
Proceeds from the Sale of Articles of War and the Glimpses of War Series go to Charities Supporting Military Veterans.
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