Wednesday 13th November. Dave Munsen explained the peace treaties which followed the armistice of the First World War. The fighting in WWI took fifty two months to resolve. The final peace treaty took a further fifty six months to resolve after the armistice. Dave took us on a tour through the eight peace treaties to end the war to end all wars and explained why peace was so difficult to agree.
Wednesday 9th October. Sarah Boyce gave the second part of her talk on the History of Holidays, from the days of the Grand Tour to Butlins.
Wednesday 25th September. Ian Doyle gave a talk on the History of the Falkland Islands and in particular the Argentinian claim of their ownership which Argentina calls the Malvenas.
Wednesday 11th September. Andrew Rees gave a talk entitled ‘The pound in your pocket – a history of British Currency’.
Wednesday 24th July. Mario gave his long awaited talk on the Spanish Inquisition.
Wednesday 26th June. Truda explained the Antarctic rivalry between Captain Robert Scott and the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, leading to the tragic death of Scott and most members of his expedition.
Wednesday 12th June. Close to the 80th anniversary of D Day, Mike Bailey looked at the British involvement in the Normandy campaign, and how the British forces evolving from a relatively green force to a far more professional army capable of bettering the Germans.
Wednesday 22nd May. Sarah Boyce explained to us the History of Holidays, through the ages from holiday festivals of Ancient Egypt to Victorian and Edwardian excursionists. Part 2 of her talk followed in October.
Wednesday 8th May. Martin Swain gave a talk on the Newport Transporter Bridge, discussing the history of bridges crossing the River Usk at Newport, the problems with the Old Town Bridge in the late 19th century and the reasons for the construction of the Transporter Bridge, completed in 1906. Martin showed several wonderful old photographs of the Old Town Bridge and the construction of the Transporter Bridge. Martin concluded with a short explanation of the current building of a new visitor centre and the restoration work to the bridge before it reopens later this year.
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Wednesday 24th April Ian Doyle gave a talk about La Reconquista de Buenos Aires, a public painting on display in Buenos Aires depicting the surrender of Major General William Carr Beresford to Jacques de Liniers, a French Captain in the service of the King of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars. Ian explained the relevance of the painting to Anglo-Argentine relations and the historical significance of the scene depicted in the painting.
Wednesday 10th April Philip told the story of the courtier and poet Sir Thomas Overbury who died in September 1613, a prisoner in the Tower of London. Why was he there, how did he die and why did he die? This is a fascinating story of political intrigue, sexual relationships and a grisly murder.
Wedesday 27th March Mike gave a talk on the Battle of Flodden. This looked at what is a long forgotten but massively important battle in our history. It looked at Catherine of Aragon’s role as regent and left to deal with an opportunist French-encouraged Scottish invasion whilst Henry VIII was campaigning in France.
Wednesday 13th March Peter gave a talk on the history of train robberies in the U.S.A and beyond in the late 1800s and early 1900s, focussing on Jesse and Frank James, followed by the true facts of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Wednesday, 28th February Les Hales presented a talk on “The Fishing Industry in Hull and Grimsby – Tragedy and Triumph”. In the 1950s and 1960s, the wealth of towns in the east of England was created by deep sea fishing – one of the most dangerous industries in the world. Les Hales’ talk included some tragic losses and the actions of one community, led by women, to improve conditions for trawlermen.
Wednesday 13th Febeuary Sarah gave a talk entitled ‘Grandpa Tom and the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaign of WW1’. The talk gave a condensed look at the stages of the unsuccessful Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaign of 1915 WW1 and a glimpse into Sarah’s Grandad’s brief service there with the 8th Battalion (Pioneer) Welsh regiment.
Wednesday 24th January Andrew Rees gave a talk entitled Abandoned History of South Wales. Andrew’s talk looked at four lesser known historic sites in South Wales, from Pre-History, Roman, Medieval and Victorian/Edwardian giving a window onto some sites that members may not know about.
Wednesday 10th January David Hughes talked about the Life of Sir Christopher Wren, famous as the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral, rebuilt after the Great Fire in 1666, but also an astronomer, mathematician and physicist.
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