Talks & meetings

July 2025

1stBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Alina Nowobilska “VE Day 1945 – Poland under the Russians”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

2ndFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Melanie King “Cold Comforts: The Hidden Ice Houses of Oxfordshire”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

8thThame – Eve Bacon “Spices and Medieval society”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

9thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Tony Bray “Manna from Heaven – The Story of Air Re-Supply”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

9th – Florence Park, Oxford – Jeremy Smith “Oxford pub histories”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

9thWallingford – Joe Trevorrow “Into the jungle – archaeology, Amerindians and adventures in Guyana’s forested frontier”. St-Mary-le-More Church, Market Place, 8:00pm.

12thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Ross King “EH Shepard: Italy, the Great War and a Canadian Bear”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

14th Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS) – Ian Everest “Flanders and the Somme – then and now”. On-line, 7:15pm (members only).

14thRadley – Mark Davies “What a liberty!”. Radley Church Room, adjoining the Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

16thCropredy – Alastair Lack “CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

16th – Stonesfield – Emma Nicholls and Duncan Murdock “Jurassic Trackways”. Primary School, High Street, 7:30pm.

21stAdderbury – Mary Sutcliffe “A history of Sezincote House and Gardens”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

24thBurford – Graham Kew “The history of Minster Lovell”. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

29thKidlington – Gillian Cane “The Miracle of Bletchley Park”. Baptist Church, 7:30pm.

August 2025

9thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Derek Plews “A Brilliant Little Victory: the Asiago Plateau, Italy 1918”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

12thThame – Members’ evening. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

13thFlorence Park, Oxford – Mick Conmy “The Irish Potato Famine and me”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

September 2025

3rdFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Nicole Perry-Bradford “Oxfordshire Museum Highlights”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

4thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Melanie King “Shadows and Silk: The World of the Female Spy”. 7:30pm. Tickets £15, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

8thChipping Norton – Simon Marshall “The Battle of Stow on the Wold”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

8thRadley – Simon Wenham “More than three men in a boat: the rise and fall of pleasure boating on the Thames”. Church of St James the Great, 7:30pm.

9thThame – Sarah Somerville “Shaw House: Over 400 years of history”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

9th – Florence Park, Oxford – Andrew Gant “Transport planning in Oxfordshire”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

15thAdderbury – Barrie Trinder “The Village Carrier”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

15thGoring Gap – Nick Millea “The Gough map: getting about in medieval Britain”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

15thKennington – Deborah Hayter “Harvest rituals”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

17thCropredy – Helen Frost “The Women’s Land Army in the First World War”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

17thEnstone – Jo Willett “Sarah Siddons: The First Celebrity Actress”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

17thHarwell – David Gahan “A history of Hanney”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

18thLongworth – Marie-Louse Kerr “Oxfordshire on Canvas”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

18thSibfords – Mark Davies “Oxford Castle: 17th– and 18th-century Crimes, Escapes and Punishments”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

18thWhitchurch & Goring Heath – Catherine Sampson “A Stroll through Berkshire’s graveyards”. Goring Heath Parish Hall, 2:30pm.

24thDorchester on Thames – Viviane Quirke “The Importance of Place: the Development of Penicillin in WWII in Oxfordshire”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

24th – Florence Park, Oxford – Helen Sheppard “Olive Gibbs: A Remarkable Woman” (film showing). Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

25thAston – Sean Callery “The Story of the Cotswolds: Wool, Warfare, Recession, Return”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

25thBurford – Carol Anderson “The Great Exodus of the 1870s, featuring agricultural labourers from Fulbrook, Taynton and Burford who emigrated to Australasia and beyond”. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

25thLaunton – Dick Richards “Commonwealth War Graves Commission”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

26thBenson – Helen Cresswell “Roman Britain and its links to Benson”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

October 2025

1stFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Colin Hill “Swalcliffe Barn: Behind the Scenes”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

7th – Henley – Paul Lacey “Bus Operators of Henley and Marlow”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

7thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ross Beadle “The Origins of the Schlieffen Plan”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

8th – Florence Park, Oxford – Pete Cann, a play (title tbc). Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

9thHornton – Deborah Hayter “Lost villages of Oxfordshire”. Pavilion, 7:30pm.

11thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Ashley Jackson “Oxford’s War 1939-1945”. 2:00pm. Tickets £12, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

13thChipping Norton – Neil Datson “Elsie Corbett, Pioneering Nurse and Benefactress”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Michael Philips “Hitler’s Gunner Generals”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

15thCropredy – Stephen Barker “A Watershed: Mahatma Gandhi”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

15thLittlemore – John Lowe “Always ready, Always willing: the story of fires and firefighting in Oxford”. Community Centre, Giles Road, 7:30pm.

15thWolvercote – AGM followed by Alastair Lack “Wolvercote Cemetery”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

14thThame – Stephen Wass “The archaeology of Stowe Landscape Gardens”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

15thEnstone – Liz Woolley “Oxfordshire and the Spanish Civil War: 1936-39”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

15thHarwell – Katherine Watsom “Crime, Medicine and Science in History”. Village Hall, 7:30pm.

16thLongworth – Andrew Long “Naming of Oxfordshire Pubs”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

16thSibfords – Oswyn Murray “The Battle of Edgehill, and the Sibford Gallows”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

20thAdderbury – Muriel Pilkington “The Lost Villages of Oxfordshire”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

20thBicester – Pete Seaward “House Arrest in Woodstock”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

20thGoring Gap – Timothy Walker “The history of Harcourt Aboretum”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

20thKennington – Stephen Barker “Warrior women of the Civil War”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

21stClanfield & Bampton – Rosemary Honour Smith “Further history of Clanfield”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

22ndDorchester on Thames – Simon Wenham “The Compilation of the Oxford Dictionary”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

30thBurford – David Cohen “Conversation around the archive images and reflections of old Burford”. Audience participation encouraged. Baptist Church, Witney Street, 7:30pm.

30thAston – Kim Davies “Oxfordshire’s Military Heritage in 50 objects”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

31stBenson – “The Work of the Air Ambulance”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

November 2025

4thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Spencer Jones “Boer War – Scorched Earth”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

4th – Henley – John Rogers “Kings, Boxes and Dots: A Brief History of the Post Office and Royal Mail”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

5thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Alice Foster “World War I: Paintings and Poetry”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

6thSoldiers of Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock – Mike Montagu & Antonia Keaney “Churchill Remembered”. Marlborough Room, Blenheim Palace, 6:30pm. Tickets £45, book on-line at https://www.sofo.org.uk/whats-on/.

10thChipping Norton – John Leighfield “From Gough to Google”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

11thThame – Stephen Barker “Oxfordshire in the British Civil Wars, 1642-51”. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

12thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Anthony Tucker Jones “Churchill: the Cold War Warrior”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

12thEnstone – Mark Abrey “St Kenelm’s church records, family histories and old tombstones”. St Kenelm’s Church, Church Enstone, 7:00pm.

12th – Florence Park, Oxford – Matthew Spring “A biography of William Hershel”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

17thAdderbury – Tim Healey “A Victorian Christmas”. The Institute, 7:30pm.

17thBicester – Matthew Hathaway “Bicester in World War 2”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

17thGoring Gap – Stuart Ackland “Oxford maps”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

17thKennington – Bill King “Women of World War Two”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

18thClanfield & Bampton – Andrew Wright “All at Sea”. Carter Institute, Clanfield, 7:30pm.

19thCropredy – Marie Lou Kerr “The woman who would be Queen: Empress Matilda, the anarchy and her links to Oxford Castle and Wallingford”. Village Hall, 7:00pm.

19thLittlemore – Jamie Williams “Another man’s trash is an archaeologists treasure: Excavations from Trinity College”. Community Centre, Giles Road, 7:30pm.

20thLongworth – Stephen Wass “The Peculiar History of Fishponds and Fishing in Oxfordshire and around”. Southmoor Village Hall, 7:15pm.

20thSibfords – Tim Healey “A 17th-century Christmas”. Sibford Gower Village Hall, 7:30pm.

26thDorchester on Thames – Patsy Smith and Denise Line “Education in Dorchester on Thames”. Dorchester Abbey Guest House, 7:30pm.

27thAston – Peter Gibbs “Concord – First to Last” (talk and film). Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

27thLaunton – Pat Tucker’s “Launton Quiz”. Parish Hall, 7:30pm.

December 2025

2nd – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Christina Holstein “Verdun – The German Offensive 1916”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

2nd – Henley – Adrian Cox “Excavations at Greys Court”. The Chantry House, St Mary’s Church, Hart Street, 7:30pm.

2ndThame – AGM plus the Launton Handbell Ringers. Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, 7:30pm.

3rdFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Colin Harrison “William Turner of Oxford and Shipton-on-Cherwell”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

5thBenson – Mike Brook “A Christmas Miscellany: Humorous performance pieces on a seasonal theme”. Parish Hall, 7:00pm.

8thChipping Norton – Simon Randall “History in Your Post”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

10thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Gary Sheffield – topic tbc. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

10th – Florence Park, Oxford – Emma Orton “Covid and the decline of childhood literacy”. Florence Park Community Centre, East Oxford, 7:30pm.

15thGoring Gap – Rob Clarke “The Maiwand lion in the Forbury, Reading”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

15thKennington – Tim Healey “Victorian Christmas”. Methodist Church, Upper Road, 7:45pm.

January 2026

7thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Lizzy Rowe “John Piper in Oxfordshire”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

14thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Katherine Carter “Churchill’s Citadel – Chartwell and the Gatherings Before the Storm”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

19th – Goring Gap – Tim Healey “A history of St Giles Fair, Oxford”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

February 2026

3rd – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Taylor Downing “1983 – The World at the Brink”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

4thFriends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – Antonia Keaney “Lights, Camera, Action: Behind the Scenes at Blenheim Palace”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

9thChipping Norton – Hugh Thomas “RAF Flying Training in the Chipping Norton area in WW2”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Gordon Rogers “Churchill’s Toyshop”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

16thBicester – John May “The Role of the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

16thGoring Gap – Sue Ellis “Not all beer and skittles”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

26thAston – Ken Langford and Susie Fletcher “Saddlery & Leather”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

March 2026

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) –John Curatola “US Eighth Air Force over Europe in WW2”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

4th – Friends of the Oxfordshire Museum (Woodstock) – David Meara “50 Gems of Oxfordshire”. The Coach House, Oxfordshire Museum, Park Street, 7:30pm. Also available on-line; e-mail friendsoftheoxfordshiremuseum@gmail.com for further details.

9thChipping Norton – AGM followed by Tony Cooper “The Great Prize Fight at White Oak Green 1846”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Geoffrey Vesey Holt “The Last Hundred Days – The Battle of Amiens to the Hindenburg Line”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

16thGoring Gap – Richard Marks “The history of the Great Western Railway in Berkshire”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

April 2026

3rdBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) –Paul Whittle “River Kwai Railway – The True Story”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

13thChipping Norton – Ramon Gater “Chastleton Graves”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Chris Leworthy “Operation Chastise – The Dambusters Raid”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

20thGoring Gap – Malcolm Summers “Greyfriars, Reading: prison to parish church”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

30thAston – AGM and in-house session “Aston and Cote Field Names”. Fellowship Centre, Cote Road, 7:30pm.

May 2026

5thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Guy Bartlett “Operation NIMROD – SAS in Action”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

11thChipping Norton – George Lambrick “The Rollright Stones”. Methodist Church Lower Hall, West Street, 2:00pm.

13thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Stephen Goss “The War that No One Wanted:  The Origins of the Great War”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

18thGoring Gap – Mike Cooper “The defence of Reading from the Vikings to the Civil War”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

June 2026

2ndBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – James Porter “German Occupation of the Channel Islands”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail zoom@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

10thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Mike Tickner “A Head Ache and a Heart Ache. The Indian Army at Partition”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

July 2026

7thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Robert Verkaik “Arnhem and the Cambridge Spies”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Guy Walters “Berlin Games – How Hitler Stole the Olympic Dream”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

October 2026

6th – British Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Richard Gibbons “Berlin – A Divided City”. On-line talk, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

14thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Ross Beadle “There was more to it than Tanks – The Battle of Cambrai”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

19thGoring Gap – Katrina Cooper “For God and the Cause: soldiery in the English Civil War through the lens of the Sealed Knot”. Goring Village Hall, 2:30pm.

November 2026

11thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Linda Parker “Rudolf Hess – His Flight to England”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

16thBicester – Nigel Walton “1918 – Peace & Remembrance in Bicester”. Clifton Centre, Ashdene Road, 7:30pm.

December 2026

15thBritish Modern Military History Society (Woodcote) – Helen Fry “The White Lady – The story of British Intelligence Networks behind German Lines”. Woodcote Village Hall, 7:30pm; e-mail info@bmmhs.org or check www.bmmhs.org for more details.

 

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