“Sailing Around the World” Peter Forbes At the age of 8, Peter Forbes was taught to sail by his mother in a felucca at the confluence of the Blue and the White Nile in Khartoum. This early happy experience engendered a lifelong love for sailing and for the sea and led to the nurturing of a dream over the intervening years to sail around the world. A meeting with Italian beer baron, Rudi Peroni, led to the acquisition of Carango,…

Dawn Chatty is an American social anthropologist and academic, who specialises in the Middle East, nomadic pastoral tribes, and refugees. From 2010 to 2015, she was Emeritus Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration at the University of Oxford. Her book 'Syria: The Making and Unmaking of a Refuge State' was published by Hurst & Co in 2018. The mass influx of peoples into Syria over the last 150 years, including Circassians, Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, Armenian, Albanians, Kosovars, created a…

Edward Towne graduated in European Studies from the University of East Anglia and later achieved a PGCE from Cambridge, an MA in Early Modern English History from the University of London and a MSt in Twentieth Century British History from the University of Oxford. His professional career was spent teaching History in state and independent Secondary Schools. Currently, Edward lectures to adults in a variety of organisations and acts as a reviewer and tour leader on historical topics. The “Mary…

Isobel is a retired Consultant in Respiratory Medicine.  While qualifying at St George’s Hospital, University of London, where Edward Wilson, Robert Scott’s friend and confidant, had trained some sixty-five years previously, she saw many of Wilson’s iconic pictures of Antarctica and became fascinated by the continent and the explorers of the early 1900s. She has written several books about them and speaks regularly on Antarctic subjects and Antarctic heroes. Edward Wilson and his wife made their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire.…

The Salisbury branch AGM will be followed by a talk by Oriental carpet specialist Harriet Sandys about her experiences in central Asia. Entitled ‘Beyond that last Blue Mountain’, it will cover the fascinating story of her time in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion and what she did to help the refugees there, her travels with the Peshmerga in the newly-liberated Iraqi Kurdistan in 1991, and her time spent with a group of unemployed builders and decorators driving convoys of food…

'Royal Navy Hovercraft in the Falkland Islands' by Cdr Vernon Phillips RN (Retd) The Hovercraft was a relatively new invention in 1967 when Commander Vernon Phillips was sent to the Falkland Islands to put the craft through sea trials. He will share his stories of his year on the South Atlantic’s waves, together with tales of some of the famous names associated with the islands. Vernon got to see a lot of the overseas territory, exploring the windswept wilderness and…

An update on The King's School, Tamil Nadu by Colin Wagstaff Colin Wagstaff is an ex-Army officer who left the services in 1976 mainly due to injuries sustained in a parachuting accident. His parents and grandparents were born in India. His father, John Wagstaff, was a Captain in the British Royal Navy and he served with the Indian Navy. One grandfather served with the Bombay Grenadier Regiment and the other, a Royal Engineer, served in India with The Madras Sappers…

‘Sir Clements Markham RGS: success or failure?’ by Isobel Williams Our last Talk of the 2021-22 season, on Wednesday, 20 April, is by Isobel Williams. Isobel is a retired Consultant in Respiratory Medicine. While qualifying at St George’s Hospital, University of London, where Edward Wilson, Robert Scott’s friend and confidant, had trained some sixty-five years previously, she saw many of Wilson’s iconic pictures of Antarctica and became fascinated by the continent and the explorers of the early 1900s. She has…

Whereas Monday, 19 September 2022 has been appointed the day of Her Late Majesty’s funeral and has been declared a day of National Mourning, Terence Dear, Hon. Branch Secretary, hereby gives Notice that the 68th Annual General Meeting of the Branch, will now be held at The Mercure Salisbury White Hart Hotel, 1 St John Street, Salisbury SP1 2SD on Wednesday, 19 October 2022. The Agenda, Reports and Nomination Papers previously issued will still apply. The Meeting will commence at…

As an ambassador for the charity Hello World, Johnny has travelled frequently to Nepal and been actively involved in their project to provide solar powered internet-enabled education hubs to remote communities. He has built a very successful career as a photographer specialising in adventure, expedition and commercial photography. Coffee will be served from 10.15am, with the main talk beginning at 11am sharp, and lunch from 12.30pm. Lunch & Talk ticket price: £20 (Members) & £22 (Guests) Talk only ticket price:…

Dr James Barry was first female doctor in Britain. Born in Cork in 1789 she was the niece of the artist James Barry RA. In 1809 she disguised herself as a man and went to Edinburgh University to train to be a doctor. Following her graduation in 1812 she joined the army and was posted to South Africa where she maintained her male persona throughout even fighting a duel. In Cape Town she performed the first successful caesarean section in…

Peter will continue his interesting talk about the courageous agents of the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. He will take it to the next stage by closely looking at some of the characters and conflicts in greater detail. The talk will cover SOE triumphs as well as tragedies. Coffee will be served from 10.15am, with the main talk beginning at 11am sharp, and lunch from 12.30pm. Lunch & Talk ticket price: £20 (Members) & £22 (Guests) Talk…

Salisbury Branch is pleased to present a lecture by Michael Gould entitled 'Love, Passion and Betrayal'. Attendees will have the opportunity to gain insight into the themes of love, passion, and betrayal. Further details about the event can be found below Coffee will be served from 10.15am, with the main talk beginning at 11am sharp, and lunch from 12.30pm. Lunch & Talk ticket price: £22 (Members) & £24 (Guests) Talk only ticket price: £10 – FREE for first-time visitors Cheques…