Presentations
My presentations highlight local themes and include personal testimony, anecdotes and stories. Use is made of archeology, contemporary and modern images, maps, photographs, artefacts and memoirs. EACH PRESENTATION IS AVAILABLE VIA ZOOM!
I provide biographical information, a relevent image and details about each presentation.
Above all, I look to make the presentations enjoyable and interesting, taking into account the prior knowledge of the audience to whom I'm talking!
British Civil War Presentations
'Warrior Women of the British Civil Wars, 1642-51'
‘The Battle of Cropredy Bridge and the Oxford Campaign 1644'
'Soldiers, Saints and Sinners: Oxfordshire Characters from the British Civil Wars 1642-6’
‘The City of Oxford during the First British Civil War 1642-46’
'The Battle of Edgehill 1642'
'The Battle of Naseby 1645'
'Buckinghamshire in the First British Civil War 1642-6'
'The British Civil Wars in Eight Paintings - 1642-51'
'Death of a Castle: Civil War Banbury, 1642-51'
First World War Presentations
The Oxf & Bucks LI on the Somme 1916'
'Trench Humour of the Great War'
'Oxfordshire on the Home Front 1914-18'
‘Armistice 1918 and After: Some Local Perspectives’
'Nobody's Heroes: 8th East Lancs at War 1914-18'
'Banbury Munitions Factory during the Great War'
'Women in the First World War'
'Five Victoria Crosses of the First World War'
India related presentations
'Five RAF Indian Pilots of the Great War'
'Hardit Singh Malik - The Flying Sikh'
'The Indian Army during the First World War: An Oxf & Bucks LI Perspective’
'Watershed: Mahatma Gandhi and the First World War'
'Indians at Victorian Oxford'
New presentations:
'Five Victoria Crosses of the First World War'
A total of 1358 Victoria Crosses have been awarded from its first investiture by Queen Victoria on 26 June 1857 to the present day. Of that total, 628 were awarded during the Great War, forty five percent of the total number of awards.
This talk presents five men to whom the VC was awarded during the 14-18 war. It includes a boy sailor at Jutland; an RAF fighter ace; a tunneler; an Ulsterman and an Indian sepoy.
The presentation takes us to the Somme and to Jutland, covers the first ever gas attack on the Western Front, the air war over it and the horrors of the underground war below.
Yet, the talk also considers the recipients as people, highlights the effects on their families and friends and considers the lasting legacies of the men to this day. The talk is fully illustrated, lasts for 50 minutes and is appropriate for general audiences.
'Death of a Castle: Civil War Banbury, 1642-51'
The great castle at Banbury had dominated both the area around and the town over which it had towered for over four hundred years. Yet, the English Civil War would bring the destruction of this great concentric, double moated, ironstone castle.
This is the story of how the town of Banbury played a significant part of the war, both as a Royalist bastion and a thorn in the Parliamentary side. It is a story of heroism, fortitude and determination against the odds, but also of the blight upon the lives of ordinary people.
The presentation aims to recreate the castle and Banbury as they were in the 1640s – so little remaining for us to see today. The talk is fully illustrated, lasts for 50 minutes and is associated with a tour of Banbury of the same name, which may be of interest.
'Women in the First World War'
Women played many roles in the First World War, including in the military, on the home front, and in factories. This talk aims to highlight these well-trodden paths, but also some lesser-known themes.
As well as increased financial independence, women also enjoyed a greater social freedom. For the first time, young single women could openly visit pubs, cinemas, and other public places unaccompanied by men. Not all of these freedoms were welcomed by all however, societal concerns about ‘morality’ often resulting.
The talk also highlights the impact of the war on women’s health and well-being, relationships and child rearing. It looks also at the challenges faced by housewives on the Home Front, charitable giving and what happened when the Armistice had been signed. Fully illustrated, and with film clips.