“Future of Warfare – Bayonets and Buttons” (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on “Future of Warfare – Bayonets and Buttons” (Talk)
Jul 122019
 

“Future of Warfare – Bayonets or Buttons”

by

David A Smith,

Chief Executive of Global Futures and Foresight

Was on Thursday 11th April, 2019 at The Kincaid Gallery

The nature of war may never change but the character of warfare is set to change dramatically in the next few years. Geopolitics, non-state players, technology and cyber and urbanisations are some of the many drivers changing both how and where wars will be fought. We’re leaving the Information Age and embracing the autonomous age with all its capabilities it does, at the same time, create dependencies and vulnerabilities, and any enemy will seek to negate these. When once the colour of buttons on the tunic were revolutionary, today it is hands on the button that will be the cause of much debate in the future. We have long understood that with economic power goes military power and external influence in the world. The emerging nations overtook the G7 nations in GDP terms a few years ago but are likely to achieve double their turnover in the next few decades – a time when the USA no longer rules the world will soon be upon us. What happens then? These issues and more, are the subject matter of ‘Future Warfare – Bayonets or Buttons?

Sourced from YouTube (Credited to William Wright)

Wounded in Afghanistan (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on Wounded in Afghanistan (Talk)
Jul 102019
 

“Wounded in Afghanistan”

with

Dr. Emily Mayhew and Harry Parker 

Was on Thursday 31st January 2019 in The Kincaid Gallery, The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

The treatment of soldiers wounded in battle has changed dramatically in recent history; the struggle to evacuate the injured from the mud of the First World War battlefields through forward dressing stations and into the evacuation chain via road or rail transport, has been superseded by evacuation from close to the point of wounding by specially equipped and manned helicopters that provide swift transfer to fully equipped field hospitals.

The chances of survival of all but the very worst injured have improved significantly.
Serving on Operation HERRICK in Afghanistan with The Rifles Harry Parker was badly wounded when he stepped on an improvised explosive device.

His immediate evacuation and treatment in country stabilised his condition and recovery by air to the UK followed; he lost both legs and spent long months in hospital and rehabilitation but he survived injuries that in other conflicts would most probably killed him.

The story of medical treatment for UK casualties on operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, is the subject of this evening talk by Emily Mayhew; Harry Parker provides his personal experience and insight from wounding to recovery.

Emily Mayhew is a Research Associate at Imperial College London and an Examiner at the Imperial College Medical School; she is a lecturer to various museums including the Welcome Collection, the Imperial War Museum and the Royal College of Surgeons.

Her second book, ‘Wounded’, was shortlisted for the 2014 Welcome Trust Book Prize. Her latest publication ‘Heavy Reckoning: War, Medicine and Survival in Afghanistan and Beyond’ covers the modern day experience of a soldier’s journey from injury on the battlefield to recovery in Britain.

Harry Parker joined the British Army when he was 23 and served in Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2009 as Captain before his life changing injury on operations. He is now a writer and artist and lives in London.

Soured From YouTube (Credited To William Wright)

The Battle of Amiens (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on The Battle of Amiens (Talk)
Jul 082019
 

THE BATTLE OF AMIENS -The Use of Tanks in the Hundred Days Offensive’
An evening talk

by

Stuart Wheeler,

Was Thursday 20th September 2018, in The Kincaid Gallery, The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

The Hundred Days Offensive was the final period of the First World War, during which the Allies launched a series of offensives on the Western Front between August and November 1918; it began with the Battle of Amiens, an attack by 10 Allied divisions with more than 500 tanks that achieved surprise and broke through the German lines.

Tanks attacked German rear positions, sowing panic and confusion and by the end of the day a gap 15 miles wide had been created in the German line south of the Somme. The Allies took 17,000 prisoners and 330 guns; total German losses were estimated to be 30,000 men while the Allies had suffered 6,500 killed, wounded and missing.

The collapse in German morale led Erich Ludendorff to dub it ‘the Black Day of the German Army’; the offensive essentially pushed the German out of France, forcing them to retreat beyond the Hindenburg Line. The term ‘Hundred Days Offensive’ does not refer to a specific battle or unified strategy, but rather the rapid series of Allied victories that led to the armistice and the end of the war.

Stuart Wheeler has been the Archive Manager at The Tank Museum in Bovington since 2014. He has given numerous talks on anti-tank tactics, the birth of the tank and the Battle of Cambrai as well as bespoke tours for the military and other various groups.

He is currently working on producing a second edition of the Tank Museum’s Top Trumps card game.

Sourced From YouTube (Credited to William Wright)

“Lonely Courage – the story of the SOE Heroines in Occupied France” (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on “Lonely Courage – the story of the SOE Heroines in Occupied France” (Talk)
Jul 062019
 

“Lonely Courage – the story of the SOE Heroines in Occupied France”

A talk by

Rick Stroud

Was on Wednesday 11th April 2018 in The Kincaid Gallery, The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum.

The French Resistance began almost as soon as France surrendered to Germany. At first it was small, disorganised groups of men and women working in isolation but by 1944 around 400,000 French citizens (nearly 2% of the population) were involved.

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) set up in 1941 saw its role in France as recruiting and organising guerrilla fighters; supplying and training them; and disrupting the Germans by any means, including sabotage, collection of intelligence and dissemination of black propaganda.

Infiltrated into France and operating in Resistance circuits the basic SOE unit was a team of three: a leader, a wireless operator and a courier, many of them women. This is the story of those women, their selection, training, dropping into occupied France and their attempts to survive on a daily basis whilst being hunted by the Gestapo. Some survived by luck through the war, whilst others were captured, tortured and executed before the Nazis final capitulation.

Rick Stroud is a writer and television director who has directed such actors as Pierce Brosnan, John Hurt,and Joanna Lumley. He is the author of several books including Rifleman, the story of Vic Gregg, ex 2RB. He is currently working on a book about the kidnapping by the SOE of General Kreipe from his headquarters on Nazi occupied Crete.

Sourced From YouTube (Credited to William Wright)

The Other Crimean War

 Articles  Comments Off on The Other Crimean War
Jul 042019
 

“The Other Crimean War” 

“The Other Crimean War: Global Strategy, Economic Warfare and the Defeat of Russia”

by 

Professor Andrew Lambert

Economic Warfare and the Defeat of Russia” by Professor Andrew Lambert
Was on 19th September 2017 the Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum

When we think of the Crimean War we tend to focus on gallant failure by The Light Brigade – the year long siege of Sevastopol – the battle of Alma – Florence Nightingale – Balaclava and the ‘Thin Red Line’.

But what about the wider picture and the strategy that led to the defeat of Russia? Andrew Lambert will argue that, first, Britain was following a geopolitical strategy in aiming to destroy the Russian economy by blockade, and wreck the fledgling Russian Navy to ensure it could not challenge the Royal Navy for control of the seas, while the war was at a joint European response to a century of Russian expansion not just southwards but also into western Europe, and towards India.

Andrew Lambert is Professor of Navel History in the Department of War Studies at King’s College. He has taught at the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and Director of the Laughton Naval History Unit. His books include ‘Nelson: Britannia’s God of War’, ‘Admirals: The Naval Commanders Who Made Britain Great’, ‘The Crimean War: British Grand Strategy against Russia 1853-1856’. His highly successful history of the British Navy ‘War at Sea’ was broadcast on BBC Two.

Sourced from YouTube (Credited to William Wright)

Crimean War Battles

A
Battle of the Alma
B
Battle of Balaclava
Battle of Akhaltsikhe (1853)
Battle of Başgedikler
Battle of Bomarsund
C
Siege of Calafat
Battle of Cetate
Battle of the Chernaya
Battle of Choloki
E
Battle of Eupatoria
G
Skirmish at the Genitchi Strait
Battle of the Great Redan
I
Battle of Inkerman
K
Siege of Kars
Battle of Kurekdere
M
Battle of Malakoff
N
Battle of Nigoiti
O
Battle of Oltenița
S
Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)
Siege of Silistra
Battle of Suomenlinna
T
Siege of Taganrog
The Thin Red Line (Battle of Balaclava)

The War of 1812 and The Burning of The White House (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on The War of 1812 and The Burning of The White House (Talk)
Jul 022019
 

“The War of 1812 and The Burning of The White House”

A Talk by

Professor Brian Holden-Reid

Was on the 27th October 2014 in The McDonald Gallery, Gurkha Museum.

The War of 1812, fought between the UK and the United States of America at sea and on land and lasting for two and a half years, is little known about in this country. Few are aware of its causes, course and consequences, and that the outcome was eventual defeat for the British at the Battle of New Orleans (8th January 1815).

It was during the War of 1812 that the White House was set ablaze by British troops on 24th August 1814 – the bicentenary of which was noted but little remarked upon in August this year. Professor Brian Holden-Reid is Professor of American History at King’s College, London.

He was Resident Historian at the Army Staff College, Camberley, from 1987-97, the first civilian on the Directing Staff for over a century. He has a wide knowledge of American history and is, in particular, an acknowledged expert on the American Civil War.

Sourced From YouTube (Credited to The Royal Green Jackets Museum Winchester)

The Outcomes of Waterloo 1815-2015 (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on The Outcomes of Waterloo 1815-2015 (Talk)
Jun 302019
 

“THE OUTCOMES OF WATERLOO, 1815-2015”

A Talk

by

Dr Russ Foster

was on 21st July 2015 in The Kincaid Gallery, RGJ (RIFLES) Museum

Based on his recently published book, Dr Russ Foster’s illustrated talk will consider the huge impact which the battle of Waterloo had in the years after 1815.

Britons commemorated Wellington’s victory in a myriad of ways: in poems, paintings and statues; in street names and pub signs. They also joined the masses that descended on the battlefield itself, which quickly became more of a tourist attraction than a war memorial. After Wellington’s death in 1852, however, official acts of public commemoration declined.

This was the consequence of something more than the simple passage of time – for the legacy of Waterloo was both contested and politicised.

Russ Foster graduated with a first in history from the University of Southampton and was the first graduate to work on the Wellington Papers when they were deposited at the University in 1983. He has since written numerous books and articles on Wellington and Waterloo.

Sourced From YouTube(Credited to The Royal Green Jackets ( Rifles ) Museum Winchester

Rifleman Victor Gregg (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on Rifleman Victor Gregg (Talk)
Jun 282019
 

Victor Gregg

with

Rick Stroud

Battle of Bedda Fomm

The Royal Green Jackets Museum Winchester

Was on the 26th January 2017

Victor Gregg joined the British Army in 1937 and after six months training was posted to 2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade in India.

The Battalion moved to Palestine in 1939 and became involved in the bitter conflict between Jewish settlers and Palestinians before being moved to North Africa where he spent the next three years fighting in the western desert.

The battle of Beda Fomm, often described as ‘the classic victory’, was his baptism of fire; after three days of bitter fighting blocking the Italian 10th Army withdrawal from Cyrenaica, 25,000 Italians surrendered.

Victor Gregg was be joined by Rick Stroud on the evening discussing these and other war time experiences

Sourced From You Tube (Credited To William Wright)

The Red Fox of Colditz (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on The Red Fox of Colditz (Talk)
Jun 272019
 

The Red Fox of Colditz

The Story of Lieutenant Mike Sinclair

A Talk by

Vere Hayes

Took place on Thursday 26th January 2017 in The Kincaid Gallery, RGJ (Rifles) Museum

Lieutenant Mike Sinclair was Scout Platoon Commander in A Company 2 KRRC, a unit in 30 Infantry Brigade, deployed in May 1940 to defend Calais as the Germans threatened to cut off the British Expeditionary Force from the British Channel.

Along with one battalion from The Rifle Brigade and one from Queen Victoria’s Rifles, bolstered by a battalion of the Royal Tank Regiment, the Brigade fought for several days before being overrun and forced to surrender; Mike Sinclair was captured along with most of the rest of the defenders of Calais.

Absolutely determined to escape and return to Britain to fight, his capture in May 1940 began a series of nine unsuccessful escape attempts that saw him spend longer free in occupied Europe than any other individual without ever achieving his goal of a ‘Home Run’. Sent to Colditz castle after an escape from a PoW camp in Poland and nearly reaching freedom in Turkey, he made three escapes from the castle that was believed ‘escape proof’.

He was captured at the Swiss border on one occasion and on the border with Holland on another; his most audacious attempt was when he impersonated the German Guard Commander. His luck ran out on his last attempt when a shot fired at him ricocheted off his elbow into his heart. After the war his body was removed to the British Military Cemetery in Berlin. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his “relentless devotion to escaping”, the only subaltern to be awarded a DSO posthumously during World War II as a PoW.

Sourced From YouTube (Credited to William Wright)

Wounded “The Long Journey Home from The Great War” (Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on Wounded “The Long Journey Home from The Great War” (Talk)
Jun 262019
 

Wounded

“The Long Journey Home from The Great War”

By 

Emily Mayhew

Was on the 25th January 2018 in The Kincaid Gallery at The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum.

“Being wounded was one of the most common experiences of the Great War; on the Western Front almost every other British soldier could expect to become a casualty with injuries ranging from light wounds to permanent life changing disability”.

At the outbreak of war in 1914 medical staff had the experience of the 1899-1902 South African War to call on, but discovered that the trench warfare that set in after the first months of conflict required a reassessment of their approach and new thinking about a new war and new wounds. There were huge advances in the treatment of those wounded on the battlefields and many changes that today are accepted, standard practice, in particular providing treatment and life saving surgery as close to the battle front as possible. The medical staff were perhaps more successful than the military commanders in adapting rapidly to the challenge.

Emily Mayhew is a Research Associate at Imperial College London and an Examiner at the Imperial college Medical School; she is also a lecturer to various museums including the Wellcome Collection, the Imperial War Museum and the Royal College of Surgeons. Her second book, ‘Wounded’, was shortlisted for the 2014 Wellcome Trust Book Prize. Her talk traces a soldier’s journey from injury on the battlefield to recover in Britain, documenting how modifications during the Great War forever changed how medical care is provided to the front line.

Sourced from YouTube (Credited to William Wright)

Waterloo – an overview (Parts 1 and 2 Talk)

 Articles  Comments Off on Waterloo – an overview (Parts 1 and 2 Talk)
Jun 242019
 

Waterloo – an overview (Part One)

Talk by The Late SIR CHRISTOPHER WALLACE)

Was on the 30th March 2015 In The Kincaid Gallery, RGJ (Rifles) Museum

This is the first of a number of talks and seminars forming a part of the Museum’s 2015 Bicentenary of Waterloo programme of events. The Waterloo campaign began with Emperor Napoleon’s escape from Elba on 26th February 1815 and ended with the Allies marching triumphantly into Paris 131 days later on 7th July. A great deal, including one of Europe’s greatest battles, took place in between. This talk aims to set the scene for subsequent talks. Lt-General Sir Christopher Wallace, who is a former Green Jacket and currently Chairman of the Museum’s Trustees, will divide his talk into two parts. In the first part he will provide an overview of the key events during the Waterloo campaign up to and including 17th June. In the second part, Sir Christopher covers the course of the battle on 18th June and the subsequent occupation of Paris.

(The above transcript was written prior to The Late Sir Christopher Wallace)

Waterloo – an overview (Part Two)

Talk by The Late SIR CHRISTOPHER WALLACE

Was on the 30th March 2015 in The Kincaid Gallery, RGJ (Rifles) Museum

Sourced From YouTube (Credited to The Royal Green Jackets Museum Winchester)

ABBA WATERLOO

Sourced from YouTube

Coming to Terms With War (Talk) 1914 -15

 Articles  Comments Off on Coming to Terms With War (Talk) 1914 -15
Jun 232019
 

“COMING TO TERMS WITH WAR: THE EXPERIENCE OF ARMY CHAPLAINS IN 1914-15”

A Talk by

Reverend Dr Peter Howson

Was on the 23rd February 2015 in The McDonald Gallery, Gurkha Museum

The Reverend Dr Peter Howson has completed a number of studies into the organisation of Army Chaplaincy, including and especially during the First World War. His book Muddling Through, published in 2013, aptly describes the organisation of Army Chaplaincy in 1914-15. Chaplains, however, were never far from the front.

Two were captured on the retreat from Mons to Le Cateau. Peter Howson served 25 years as an army chaplain. He is now the minister in charge of Weybridge Methodist Church. His talk will centre on the different experiences of three chaplains who went to war in August 1914 as a means of illustrating what it was like to be a chaplain in the Army in 1914-15. Copies of his book Muddling Through will be available for purchase and signature.

Sourced from YouTube (Credited to The Royal Green Jackets Museum Winchester)

 Older Entries  Newer Entries