The Steps to Glory traces the evolution of British officer commissioning from 1660 to 1914. It examines all routes into Britain’s Land Forces, from purchase in the Regular Army to patronage in the East India Company and competitive exams in the British Indian Army, as well as officer entry through the reserves and cadet forces.
Tony Bray’s talk will cover the evolution of human flight, from birds to helicopters. He will explain the fundamental flight principles and celebrated aviation pioneers. The journey will highlight pivotal moments like the Sikorski VS300’s 1939 flight and pose questions about early vertical lift-off attempts, and current developments of both helicopters and drones.
Unfortunately Gordon Rogers is unable to give his talk to BMMHS on Churchill’s Toyshop in February 2027. Fortunately Simon Shephard has kindly stepped into the fray and will deliver his talk on ‘Gentlemen and Ladies of Character’: The defining quality in British Land Force’s Officer selection since 1660 instead. We look forward to welcoming Simon to Woodcote.
Articles of War is now available on Amazon. This publication a collection of articles from the British Modern Military History Society (BMMHS), written by historian Nick Brazil. Proceeds from the sale of this BMMHS publication will go to support the charity Veterans With Dogs.
The Three Emperors by Miranda Carter is the juicy, funny story of the three dysfunctional rulers of Germany, Russia and Great Britain at the turn of the last century, combined with a study of the larger forces around them.
“This book tells of the awe in which the veterans of World War 2 were held by the post war generation, the close bonds of trust and loyalty within tank crews and the deep respect, often expressed through humour, between tanks and infantry. It also gives a human feel for the early Cold War conditions in the British Army of the Rhine.”- Brigadier Gavin Thompson, Colonel Commandant, The Royal Tank Regiment
The iconic vision of Spitfires and Hurricanes battling to preserve our freedoms as they swept into action against German aircraft in the skies above southern England is an accurate one.
The Battle of Britain took place between July and October 1940 and the Germans began by attacking coastal targets and shipping in the Channel.
This presentation examines the aircraft, pilots and tactics used to ensure victory in the skies. It offers a unique insight into the RAF, and how the outcome was almost very different.
Latest BMMHS Publication will be available shortly – More details to follow. Articles of War is a collection of articles from the British Modern Military History Society (BMMHS) which cover a portrait of modern conflict from Napoleon to the present written by historian Nick Brazil. Proceeds from the sale of
This afternoon talk took place on Tuesday 23rd June. Jerry Cockeram opened with an update on BMMHS during the lockdown and also the progress of Operation Bookworm.
Then Linda Parker gave an interesting talk on Airborne Padres in the Second World War which was well received by the audience of 27 people. It was nice to see some familiar faces and some new ones too and there was also an interesting Q&A session at the end. The talk went well with only a few minor technical glitches, which we are working to overcome. Feedback from members on the “Zoom” was enthusiastic and appreciative, with most people willing to make a donation or contribution towards the cost of future Zoom talks.
Ice Stations to Action Stations by Linda Parker.
This talk tells the story of the “curious little war” that took place on the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard 1941-1945. The island of Spitsbergen was the site of confrontation between the allies and Germany as the weather stations both sides attempted to maintain there were strategically important for the course of the war in Europe, Including D day.
The men involved on both sides had been prominent polar explorers in the interwar years, and Alexander ‘Sandy’ Glen in particular used the skills he had acquired in his pre-war exploration of the archipelago in the game of cat and mouse that took place as each side sought to obtain the advantage of obtaining regular weather forecasts and knowledge of Atlantic and Arctic conditions.
The BMMHS had a successful visit yesterday to the Battle of Britain Bunker the former underground operations room used by No 11 Group Fighter Command RAF during WW2. Fighter aircraft operations were controlled from here throughout the war but most noteably during the Battle of Britain and on D-Day. There is also a new visitors centre opened in March 2018. The tour guide Chris Leworthy was excellent and the day was enjoyed by all. A highly recommended place to visit.
The Main Hall, will be redecorated at the time of this April talk by Gary Sheffield. Gary’s talk will go ahead in the next door Function Room. However this has halved our capacity to 50 people for this one talk and all seats have now been reserved. Apologies to those who had hoped to attend. Normal service in the refurbished Main Hall will resume in May for all future talks.
BMMHS is pleased to announce that we have appointed Linda Parker as our Schools Liaison Officer. Linda’s role now includes a focus on establishing links with local schools and colleges with a view to broadening our audiences into a younger generation.
Please if you can provide us with contacts and advice in this area then contact us via [email protected]
Our previous talks have been sold out but thanks to the help from both Jenny & the Yoga team, we are now moving into the Larger Main Hall, in Woodcote Village Hall.
In order to secure a seat for future events, please contact us on [email protected] and we will confirm availability.
On Monday 14th October 2019, Wantage held Two Services of Remembrance commemorating the first casualties of the Second World War from the town .
Watch this space!
An excellent talk followed by a book signing by naval author, Philip K Allan, author of the Alexander Clay series. Following a lifetime’s love of the wooden warships of the Napoleonic era, Philip took a packed house through a fascinating presentation of what it was like to live and work in the navies of the day.
Last night saw the first event of the BMMHS, with a fascinating talk by local historian Bill King, assisted by his wife Flora, on how Britain intended to repel a German invasion in 1940 through the use of ‘underground’ resistance fighters.
Click on Unit Badge for meeting details
Thank you to Barbara Taylor of The Western Front Association for kindly announcing the formation of the British Modern Military History Society to members at the Thames Valley Branch meeting on Thursday 28th March 2019.
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