Welcome to the Kent (North West) branch of the Western Front Association.
We operate two programmes of talks: one taking place at physical meetings at Petts Wood; the other online via zoom.
Where we meet for physical meetings: The venue is the Royal British Legion Club, Queensway, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent BR5 1DH. Although suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, from 28th October 2021, these will resume, on the last Thursday of each month (except December). They start at 19:30, with the doors (and the bar) opening at 18:30. The club is next to Morrison's supermarket and Petts Wood railway station. Parking at the rear of the club 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.
2021/22 upcoming face-to-face meetings at Petts Wood
| Oct 28 | 'ELOPE with the RAF - flying over North Russia' by Andy Tonge |
| Nov 25 | 'Evacuation from Gallipoli' by Peter Hart and Gary Bain |
| Dec 30 | Winter break. No meeting |
| Jan 27 | 'Cockney War Stories from Pozières to Palestine' by Clive Harris |
| Feb 24 | 'Effin' and Blindin' on the Western Front' by Mark Connelly |
Online talks: Zoom meetings take place on the second Tuesday of each month. They go online at 19:20 for a 19:30 start and end about an hour later. Participating is quick and easy. All you need is a computer, or a tablet, or a smart phone. Simply email us - wfa.nwkent@gmail.com - and we'll send the links and passcodes needed to attend. You will also be automatically added to the NW Kent mailing list to keep you updated about future zoom events.
2021/22 upcoming online (zoom) talks
| Sep 30 | 'What Tommy Did Next: rehabilitation for limbless men during/after the Great War' by Louise Bell [zg] |
| Oct 12 | 'The U-Boat Campaign 1914-18 - The Inside Story' by Dr Graham Kemp [zh] |
| Nov 9 | 'Britain's First War Widows - the Forgotten Legion' by Andrea Hetherington [zi] |
| Dec 14 | 'Tommy French' by Julian Walker [zj] |
| Jan 11 | 'Stretcher Bearers - changing medicine forever' by Emily Mayhew [zk] |
2021 talks programme: full listing [ Z = zoom PW - Petts Wood ]
| Date | Venue | Talk / speaker |
| Jan 28 | Z | 'The Dover Patrol' by Robin Brodhurst [z8] |
| Feb 25 | Z | 'The Wombles of the Western Front - Salvage and recycling in the Great War' by Rob Thompson [z9] |
| Mar 25 | Z | 'Elsie and Mairi Go to War - Two Extraordinary Women on the Western Front' by Dr Diane Atkinson [za] |
| Apr 29 | Z | 'Who was Franz Ferdinand?' by Sue Woolmans [zb] |
| May 27 | Z | 'Verdun: Recovering the Fallen' by Christina Holstein [zc] |
| Jun 24 | Z | 'Arthur and Adeline - a true story of WW1 bravery and romance' by Dennis Claridge [zd] |
| Jul 29 | Z | 'Cockney war stories from Pozières to Palestine' by Clive Harris [ze] |
| Aug 26 | Z | 'Baptism of Fire! The New Zealanders at Gallipoli' by Chris Pugsley [zf] |
| Sep 30 | Z | 'What Tommy Did Next: rehabilitation for limbless men during/after the Great War' by Louise Bell [zg] |
| Oct 12 | Z | 'The U-Boat Campaign 1914-18 - The Inside Story' by Dr Graham Kemp [zh] |
| Oct 28 | PW | 'ELOPE with the RAF - flying over North Russia' by Andy Tonge |
| Nov 9 | Z | 'Britain's First War Widows - the Forgotten Legion' by Andrea Hetherington [zi] |
| Nov 25 | PW | 'Evacuation from Gallipoli' by Peter Hart and Gary Bain |
| Dec 14 | Z | 'Tommy French' by Julian Walker <>sup>[zj] |
| Dec 30 | PW | Winter break. No meeting. |
Upcoming Branch Events
'ELOPE with the RAF - flying over North Russia' by Andy Tonge
Caption: No 1 Flight, Slavo British Aviation Corps About the speaker: Andy Tonge was, for 13 years, chair of the WFA Sussex branch and also the European Officer of the WFA EC during most of the Great War Centenary commemorations. In this role he led the WFA presence at government-run Passchendaele events. For many years, he has guided battlefield …
Event Details