Lunches

Speaker:  Mark Lewis "The History of Lighthouses". Mark will give a general introduction to "pharology", the study of lighthouses and other navigational aids. He will give an outline from the prototype, the Pharos of Alexandria, through the evolving history of their construction, methods of illumination, operation, and maintenance, the lives of the keepers, including some of [...]

Speaker:  Guy Barlett "Barnes Wallis & 617 Squadron-The Dambusters". Discover the skill and bravery of the crews of 19 Lancaster aircraft as well as the vision and determination of inventor Barnes Wallis. Operation "Chastise" has become a legend in military history as it contains all the traditionally admired military attributes of originality, surprise, and heroism. Learn [...]

Chairman:  Nick Hawkins.   Speaker:  Eddie Prescott "Airmen of West Malling".   Eddie will tell the story of RAF West Malling and its Airmen during the second world war.  The airfield was not fully operational during the Battle of Britain, but did play an active part in the later stage of the air campaign, becoming a premier [...]

Guests are invited to this lunch which will cost £20 per head with a free bar. Our speaker is Delia Taylor who will present her talk on "The Fabulous Fifties" taking a look back at the decade of the 1950s. She will take a look at how we lived during this period in the UK including [...]

Speaker:  Jennie Randall "Not Forgotten- The Crooked Billet". In 1944 London faced an unprecedented and terrifying threat from a completely new weapon- the V2 rocket, which travelled at over 3000 miles per hour. Find out what happened when a V2 hit a crowded pub situated between Bickley and Petts Wood. This is not just a story [...]

No speaker.  Lunch will be followed by the important AGM.

 Speaker is now James Dickenson and his talk is entitled "The Changing Fortunes of the Cinque Ports". James is predominately a scholar of English Medieval History, his talk starts in 1066 and runs through to modern times encompassing their use for defence, trade and smuggling, fulfilling nowadays a ceremonial role.

Speaker:  Neil Sadler, "A Policeman's Lot". Neil will talk about his experiences in the Sussex police force and explain why Z cars was so influential, who says cops don't have a sense of humour, in which European country should you not try to outrun the police, and what was the most original use of a policeman's [...]

Chairman: Lynton Jones Speaker: No Speaker because of the General Meeting

Speaker is Malcolm Wells MBE, his talk is entitled " So Far So Good". Malcolm's talk will cover several subjects starting with light hearted stories of his time at Canine Partners which included working with Sir Terry Wogan and how to teach a dog to use a washing machine.  He will then move on to talking [...]