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Lecture Programme

Enjoy a series of lectures during the winter months given by top level speakers. A balance of subjects is maintained between current Service topics and operations, naval historical subjects, sailing and adventurous activities.

All lectures are held at The Concorde Club, Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh, SO50 9HQ, normally on the second Monday evening of the month (Sept to April).

10 Mar ("Cold War Test Pilot") and 14 Apr ("Falklands Aircrew Experience"),then AGM 12 May; lectures resume on 8 Sep.

Next Lecture:

Monday 10th March 2025

"Cold War Test Pilot" by Gp Capt Ron Burrows AFC, FRAeS, JP, RAF (Retd)

Group Captain Burrows topic will be flying and flight testing cold war fast jets from the mid 1960s to the end of the1980s. This was a particularly interesting era which started with his first operational tour flying ground-attack Hunters in Aden and went on to include the flight testing of all the UK military fast jets of the period at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at Boscombe Down. His principal types included Harrier (and Sea Harrier), Buccaneer, Phantom, Sea Vixen, Jaguar, and Tornado (both variants).
He was lucky to be selected for US Navy test pilot training in 1970, and so flew many of their types too, including the Skyhawk, F4J, and Crusader.

Of particular interest to us, during Op Corporate he was the CO of the Fighter Test Squadron at Boscombe Down leading urgent flight trials that became necessary in support of the re-capture of the Falkland Islands, flight testing the VSTOL Harrier GR3 on the carrier-deck ski-jump and in-flight refuelling from the improvised Vulcan tanker.

Previous Lectures have included:

"Type 26 Goes Global" by Geoff Searle, Programme Director - Future Business & Technology, BAE Systems Naval Ships

"Great Female Circumnavigators" by maritime historian Cathy Shelbourne

"Air Defence in the Royal Navy" by Cdre Matt Stratton RN, Deputy Director of Naval Equipment System Acquisition

"The Air France Disasters in Bahrain in June 1950" by author and historian Kevin Patience (Sept 2024)

‘I say, Number 1, my end is diving. What is your end doing?’ The Royal Navy’s first quest for a viable fleet submarine – by Andrew Choong Han Lin

“The worst nightmares of a submarine CO” by Cdr Jonty Powis RN

“The loss of the KURSK: a Russian tragedy from a British perspective” by  Commodore David Russell

“Life in Putin’s Russia; a talk from personal experience by Issy and Stas, a young married couple living in Russia who got the last plane out.” 

“Perisher: 100 Years of the Submarine Command Course”, given by David Parry

“Sinking the Belgrano” by Cdr Jonty Powis RN
“At 15 minutes notice for 50 years – incites and incidents of the RN’s first Continuous At Sea Deterrent patrol by the Navigating Officer of HMS Resolution” – by Cdr Ray Hunter RN
“On a Wing & a Prayer – the Cold War Deterrent Mk1” by Wing Cdr Tony Davies
“What shape was a battleship? (and why the last one had its great aunt’s teeth)  by Cdr Patrick Keefe RN

"Reflections of a (initially reluctant, latterly retired) Submarine Engineer" by Cdr Kevin Podger RN
"Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup, an insight!" by Abby Ehler
“A Very Warm Time; HMS Clio and British naval operations in Mesopotamia, 1914-1918” by Andrew Choong Han Lin
"The Wager Disaster; Mayhem, Mutiny and Murder in the South Seas" by Rear Admiral Kit Layman CB, DSO, LVO
“The British Carrier Strike Fleet after 1945” by Cdr David Hobbs RN

“Submarine Escape and Rescue Training, The Submarine Parachute Assistance Group and the UK Response to ARA San Juan” by Lt Cdr Gareth Griffiths RN and WO1 Thorpe
“S/m experiences” by Vice Admiral Peter Wilkinson CB CVO 
“The mysterious loss of sailing yacht OUZO off the Isle of Wight” by Mike Waddleton.
"From Sea To Sky; The Royal Navy’s Aircraft Carriers 1912 to 1945” by Andrew Choong Han Lin, Curator, Historic Photos and Ships Plans, National Maritime Museum.

"Preparing Portsmouth for HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH” by Captain Iain Greenlees RN

“Reflections on a second career with the UN” by Cdr Geoff Wordley RN
“White Ship, Red Crosses – a British Hospital Ship at War” by Senior Nursing Officer Nicci Pugh
“Operation Neptune: Frogmen – the first men ashore on D-Day” by Lt Cdr Rob Hoole RN (retired)
“Instructor Officer at War” by Lt Cdr Nigel Huxtable RN (retired)
“Bird in a Biplane” by Lt Cdr Tracey Curtis-TaylorRNR
“Op Herrick 5, Afghanistan” Lt Col Matt Holmes RM (CO 42 Cdo RM)
"Op Herrick 9, Afghanistan" Cdr Kev Seymour RN (CO Navy Strike Wing )
"Future threats and risks", Rear Admiral Chris Parry
"United States ICEX Operations 2011, RN involvement and experiences"
“UK Maritime Trade Operations, anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the Middle East”
“Fleet Diving Squadron, worldwide diving and EOD"

"The new generation of Offshore Patrol Vessels (HM Ships Forth, Medway, Trent, Tamar and Spey) and their expanded role" by Lt Cdr Stuart Harrison-Jones RN
“Operation Bugle, the EU response to the ‘Darfurisation’ of Chad”
“HMS Daring,1st Type 45 destroyer” Capt Paul Bennett RN (CO HMS Daring)
“Buccaneer, last all British bomber”
“Falklands, HMS Coventry” Cdre Jamie Miller (OOW when she was struck by an Argentine Exocet missile)
“Falklands,the Air War” Cdre Neill Thomas (CO 899 Naval Air Squadron)
“Falklands, 3 Cdo Bgde” Major General Julian Thompson (CO 3 Cdo Bgde)
“The Channel Dash, 825 NAS suicide attack on the German battle cruisers
in the 2nd WW” Lt Cdr Edgar Lee RN (last survivor of the action)
“Operation Frankton, the Cockleshell Heroes Raid"
“Falklands experiences” by Rear Admiral Chris Parry
“SCRAM! Junglies in the Falklands” by Lt Harry Benson RN (retd)
"In the wake of William Bligh" the recreation of Lt Bligh's small boat voyage
"Row to the Pole" Mark Delstanche
“F35 Lightning ll – The Future of British Fixed Wing Maritime Aviation”
“The Falklands war – a close run thing” by Commander Jeff Tall RN (retired)
“The Shackleton Epic expedition” the recreation of Shackleton's boat journey
“The Flying Boats of Southampton” by Colin van Geffin
“The Battle of the Atlantic” by Rear Admiral John Lang
“Submarine operations in the Cold War” by Cdr Jeff Tall RN (retired
“The Coder Special Archive” by Tony Cash
“Operation Ellamy; submarine operations during the Libyan crisis” by Commander  Robert Dunn RN  
“The EU Training Mission to Somalia” by Commander Mark Barton RN
“The story of the Schneider Air Races” by Colin van Geffin
“Carrier Strike – Regenerating the UK’s Carrier Aviation Capability” by Cdr Nick Walker RN
“The Three Voyages of Exploration of Captain James Cook”
“Unsung heroes: the Royal Naval Division in World War 1” by Captain Christopher Page RN Retired
“Cheerfulness in the face of adversity – 350 years of smiling through gritted  teeth” by Chris Terrill
“Four men in a boat” by Ken Endean
“Trinity House 500 and its role today” by Commander Graham Hockley Royal Navy
“The Royal Navy Historic Flight” by Lieutenant Commander Christopher Gotke AFC RN   
“Martin Nasmith VC – Pioneer Submariner” by Duncan Dunbar-Nasmith
“No more history lessons – Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015” by Lt Ben Timpson RN
“Gallipoli: Myth and Memory” will be presented by Nick Hewitt
“HMS M33 – Unique Gallipoli Survivor” will be presented by Matthew Sheldon
“An update on the Type 26 programme” by Captain Tim Cryar RN
“Imagining the Future of Submarines” by Hon. Captain Jeremy Greaves RNR and Mr Alex Morphew
The project to replace the Royal Yacht Britannia” by Rear Admiral David Bawtree.

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