Welcome to the Kent (North West) branch of the Western Front Association.
We run two talk programmes: one is online via zoom, the other one is in-person meetings at Petts Wood.
Online meetings via zoom: Jan-Dec 2025
Online talks: Zoom meetings normally take place on either the second or third Tuesday every month except August. They go live at 19:20 for a 19:30 start, ending about 65 minutes later. Participating is quick and easy. All you need is a computer, or a tablet, or a smart phone.
Simply email us - outreach@wfa-nwkent.uk - 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. You can unsubscribe from our list at any time.
| Jan 14 | 'Lancers: From the Boer War to the Great War' by Maj Phil Watson, Retd, MA | |
| Feb 11 | 'The African Water War' by Dr Anne Sampson | |
| Mar 11 | 'Votes for Women in the Great War' by Dr Naomi Paxton | |
| Apr 8 | 'The War Underground 1914-18' by Simon Jones | |
| May 13 | 'Aces High: The Australian Flying Corps 1912-1920' by Rob Fleming | |
| Jun 10 | ' "Queer" Men during the Great War: a purge in 1916?' by Dr Frances Hurd | |
| Jul 15 | 'The Mars Offensive: 28th March 1919' by Dr Spencer Jones | |
| Summer break: Aug 12 | ||
| Sep 9 | 'Military Justice during the Great War' by Prof Lois Bibbings | |
| Oct 14 | 'Low-flying ground attacks on the Western Front 1916-18' by Dr James Halstead | |
| Nov 18 | 'Questioning Commemoration' by Prof Maggie Andrews | |
| Dec 16 | 'The Naval War in the Baltic Sea - Essen’s Triumph' by Mark Harris |
In-Person meetings at Petts Wood: Jan-May & Sep-Nov 2025
Where we meet: We meet upstairs at the Royal British Legion Club, Queensway, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent BR5 1DH. Meetings are mostly held on the last Thursday of the month (Jan-May and Sep-Nov). The club and bar opens at 18:30. We ask people to turn up by 19:20, with the talk starting at 19:30. There are no entrance fees but donations of £5 or more towards our costs are welcome. All Petts Wood talks are given live and are neither streamed nor recorded.
| Jan 30 | 'Trowels and Trenches: Archaeologists in the Great War' by Clive Harris |
| Feb 27 | 'The Indian Army at Hampton Court Palace' by Dr Tejpal Singh Ralmill |
| Mar 27 | 'The Allied Intervention in Northern Russia 1918-1920' by Andy Stuart |
| May 01 | 'From this point, the tourist should go on foot: the Somme 1919-1939' by Prof Mark Connelly |
| May 29 | 'The Ghost Villages of Verdun' by Christine Holstein |
| Summer break: Jun 26, Jul 31, Aug 28 | |
| Sep 25 | 'Faith and superstition in the Trenches' by Dr Peter Hodgkinson |
| Oct 30 | 'Kitchener's Mob: The New Armies on the Somme 1914-16' by Prof Peter Doyle |
| Nov 25 | 'The Rev Robert Keable: An Utterly Immoral Great War chaplain' by Simon Keable-Elliot |
| Winter break: Dec 25 |
Getting there: The club is next door to Morrison's supermarket and Petts Wood railway station. There's free parking at the rear of the club but you do need to type your car registration into the machine (on the left as you enter the club). Not entering your car's registration can lead to a £50 fine. Alternatively, there's easy free parking in adjacent side streets.
Upcoming Branch Events
ONLINE: 'The Mars Offensive: 28th March 1919' by Dr Spencer Jones
Caption: Ludendorff's army on the march About the talk: By the point, Ludendorff's problem was that the places he needed most to take, to create a path to victory, were also those which were most strongly defended. But, by so doing, he merely weakened his own forces. On 28th March 1918 - perhaps buoyed by his overwhelming victory over the Royal...
Event Details