HMS Warspite at Jutland

Peter Hart has been a great friend of the branch for many years – he was actually our third speaker, first putting in an appearance in July 2014!

This year he will be talking about the Queen Elizabeth-class super-dreadnought HMS Warspite and her adventures at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. In the Second World War, as an aging battleship she would go on to accumulate more battle honours than any other ship in the history of the Royal Navy, nicknamed the 'Grand Old Lady' by Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, whose flagship she was in the Mediterranean, but in the titanic clash of the First World War, she was in her pomp, along with her three sisters present on the day, Valiant, Barham and Malaya, the most powerful ships afloat and the first to sport 15-inch guns that spat out shells of almost a ton in weight.

Peter was Oral Historian at the Imperial War Museum from 1981 to his retirement. He has written widely on military history, but specialised in the Great War, illustrated by his talks for just our branch, which have included “The Royal Flying Corps – Up the Arras”, “Gallipoli”, “Somme Success”, “The Guns of Passchendaele” and most recently, “I'm Out! Escape to the Frontier”.

Members and non-members of The Western Front Association are equally welcome. Any new visitors are guaranteed a friendly atmosphere and a warm welcome from a group of like-minded enthusiasts.

Main Image: HMS Warspite (postcard, PD)