Welcome to the Kent (North West) branch of the Western Front Association.
Where we meet: The Royal British Legion Club, Queensway, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent BR5 1DH. This is next to Morrison's supermarket and Petts Wood railway station. Parking at the rear of the venue is free but you need to enter your car registration into the machine (on the left as you enter the club). There's also easy parking in adjacent sidestreets.
When we meet: At 19:30 on the last Thursday of each month (except December). The doors (and the bar) open at 18:30.
Spring/Summer 2020 programme:
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30 Jan |
'It's All a Bit Heath Robinson' by Luci Gosling |
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27 Feb |
'The Bravest Little Street in England' by Carole Evans |
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26 Mar |
'Foot Soldier Sam's Great War - In His Own Words' by Phil Sutcliffe |
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30 Apr |
'Fighting Spirit - Patrolling and Raiding with the West Yorks 1917-18' by Fraser Skirrow |
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28 May |
'Cork 1914-1923: A City in Wartime' by Gerry White |
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25 Jun |
'Dentistry in the Great War' by Rachel Bairsto |
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30 Jul |
'Byng of Vimy' by John Derry |
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27 Aug |
'When Woolwich went to War' by Steve Roberts |
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24 Sep |
T B C |
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29 Oct |
T B C |
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26 Nov |
T B C |
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24 Dec |
Winter Break - no meeting planned. Next meeting will be on Thursday, 28th Jan 2021. |
Past programme (2019)
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31 Jan |
'The Americans at Meuse Argonne 1918' by Christina Holstein |
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28 Feb |
'Wartime Cartoons: Introducing the Artists and Their Work' by Dr Pip Gregory |
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28 Mar |
'The Last Battle - Endgame on the Western Front 1918' by Peter Hart |
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25 Apr |
'Naval Matters 1919' by Robin Brodhurst |
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30 May |
'Battlefield Success – Achieving Tactical Excellence in an Infantry Battalion 1916-18' by Fraser Skirrow |
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27 Jun |
'Clearing the Dead 1919-39' by Peter Hodkinson |
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25 Jul |
'The Zeebrugge Raid 23rd April 1918' by Clive Harris |
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29 Aug |
'The First World War - The Aftermath' by Prof John Derry |
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26 Sep |
'British Military Music During the Great War' by Dr Emma Hanna |
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31 Oct |
'From the Good Soldier to the Emperor - The Austro-Hungarian Army 1914-18' by Alan Wakefield |
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28 Nov |
'The Biggest Single Piece of Work since the Pharaohs - the Imperial War Graves Commission 1917-39' by Prof Mark Connelly |
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26 Dec |
Winter break - no meeting. Next meeting is on Thursday, 30 Jan 2020. |
Upcoming Branch Events
'The Bravest Little Street in England' by Carole Evans
Main image: Installation at the Lumen Crypt Gallery, Nov 2019 Portrait: From “A Street of Soldiers” About the talk: 'The Bravest Little Street in England' is about the brave men of Chapel Street, of Altrincham, near Manchester, who failed to return home from the First World War 100 years ago. Chapel Street received the accolade of “the bravest …
Event Details
'Foot Soldier Sam's Great War - In His Own Words' by Phil Sutcliffe
Caption: British prisoners after the Spring Offensive (Courtesy: IWM) About the talk: Signaller Sam Sutcliffe’s son and editor Phil will read excerpts from his father's WW1 frontline experiences… but first touching on the poor London childhood that, one way or another, "made" the Tommy, then and his September 1914 enlistment… then turning – via …
Event Details
'Fighting Spirit - patrolling and raiding with the West Yorks' by Fraser Skirrow
Captions - Above: painting from Foot Patrol (1916). Below: Fraser Skirrow at the Start Line on the Somme in 2016. About the talk: Opinion is divided over the role of patrol actions in trench warfare. At the time it was seen as a way of maintaining an aggressive attitude in periods of static warfare. Both contemporary and later accounts however spe…
Event Details