Speakers

This presentation traces the history of the Bedfordshire countryside and is illustrated by a varied selection of landscape slides. The talk places people at the centre of the landscape story and provides examples of how individuals have contributed to the making of the countryside which we see today. This talk is based on a recent book published in 2018 and begins with the evidence for the arrival of the early farmers along the east – west route ways into the centre of England, especially along the dry chalk tracks of the Icknield Way. This historical account then quickly moves to the impact of Roman settlers especially farming settlements along the major rivers such as the Ouse and Ivel. The Norman invasion brought significant landscape change including the first documentation of settlement in the Domesday Book, the development of deer parks and the management of rabbit warrens. This rapid tour of Bedfordshire landscape history briefly illustrates the impact of the field enclosure and the creation of parkland landscapes such as Woburn.

The talk itself is titled 'One of Our Own' and tells the quite incredible story of St. Neots Battle of Britain pilot, Squadron Leader Victor Ekins DFC. Dave has been able to tell his story as the Ekins family allowed him access to the wartime diaries that he meticulously kept during those arduous war years and that lay unread for over 80 years. The book was published in July 2023 and has gone on to be an Amazon best seller.

I retired twelve years ago from a lifelong career in the pharmaceutical industry. I have since turned to researching Victorian Merchant Shipping. I am a member of several Nautical Societies and have written many articles on the subject. I am the editor of the online magazine Topmasts.

Whilst investigating my family tree, I found that my great-great-grandfather William Schaw Lindsay (1815-1877) in his day was akin to Richard Branson. An entrepreneur, he made a fortune in Merchant Shipping. His diaries are held in the National Maritime Museum, and it took me six years to transcribe them; I wrote his forefather’s biography as a result.

My talk will be about medical services for the forces during World War 1. It will cover the ‘chain of evacuation’ being the system for treating the injured and their movement down the line and medical advancements and innovations during the period where necessity was very much the mother of invention.
I have had a lifelong interest in history generally and military history in particular. During a 40 year career as a solicitor I organised and led, with my brother, many tours for friends and family to the battlefields of Western Europe.
As I came up to retirement I decided that I wanted to continue guiding on a formal basis. I obtained an MA in military history from the University of Buckingham, joined the Guild of Battlefield Guides and having completed the Guilds’ course for Accreditation am now the proud holder of Badge 101.
I am a freelance guide and have experience in researching for and guiding a variety of groups to western European battlefields of various eras. I also have a keen interest in Romano-British history, British history generally and the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War in particular.

When Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in 1843, the season was not the joyous celebration we know today. 

This talk examines how the classic story was written and how it influenced the Victorians and later generations to embrace Christmas.