Speakers

The talk itself is titled 'One of Our Own' and tells the quite incredible story of St. Neots Battle of Britain pilot, Squadron Leader Victor Ekins DFC. Dave has been able to tell his story as the Ekins family allowed him access to the wartime diaries that he meticulously kept during those arduous war years and that lay unread for over 80 years. The book was published in July 2023 and has gone on to be an Amazon best seller.

I retired twelve years ago from a lifelong career in the pharmaceutical industry. I have since turned to researching Victorian Merchant Shipping. I am a member of several Nautical Societies and have written many articles on the subject. I am the editor of the online magazine Topmasts.

Whilst investigating my family tree, I found that my great-great-grandfather William Schaw Lindsay (1815-1877) in his day was akin to Richard Branson. An entrepreneur, he made a fortune in Merchant Shipping. His diaries are held in the National Maritime Museum, and it took me six years to transcribe them; I wrote his forefather’s biography as a result.

The blackout was a new experience for the British. Every night during the second world war, the streetsremained dark. Cars and bicycles had covered lights, all homes had to use blackout curtains to prevent even a spot of light from being seen. During air raids people were go to the shelter at the bottom of the garden or into public shelters. What was life like in the blackout? Many social and personal taboos were broken. There was a black market, the illicit affairs and much much more. In a presentation that has a lot of surprises about the reserve British of the 1940s, the changes to social behaviour bought about by the blitz are examined. The British would never be the same again as many were tempted to eat from forbidden trees. Music, images and a few laughs.

My talk will be about medical services for the forces during World War 1. It will cover the ‘chain of evacuation’ being the system for treating the injured and their movement down the line and medical advancements and innovations during the period where necessity was very much the mother of invention.
I have had a lifelong interest in history generally and military history in particular. During a 40 year career as a solicitor I organised and led, with my brother, many tours for friends and family to the battlefields of Western Europe.
As I came up to retirement I decided that I wanted to continue guiding on a formal basis. I obtained an MA in military history from the University of Buckingham, joined the Guild of Battlefield Guides and having completed the Guilds’ course for Accreditation am now the proud holder of Badge 101.
I am a freelance guide and have experience in researching for and guiding a variety of groups to western European battlefields of various eras. I also have a keen interest in Romano-British history, British history generally and the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War in particular.

When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, the season was not the joyous celebration we know today. 

This talk examines how the classic story was written and how it influenced the Victorians and later generations to embrace Christmas.