Bentley Priory Museum

Friday Morning Talks - Stories of Courage 1939-45: The RNLI in the Second World War - With Hayley Whiting
2026-06-26 11:00 - 12:00 (Europe/London) | Bentley Priory Museum, Mansion House Drive, Stanmore, HA7 3FB, United Kingdom
Margate crew wearing Brodie helmets during the 2nd World War © RNLI
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where RNLI Heritage Archive and Research Manager Hayley Whiting, will be joining us to talk about the role of the RNLI during the 2nd World War.

Raging seas they were used to. But for 6 long years, lifeboat volunteers found themselves amidst a raging war too. In the summer of 1940, the Royal Air Force and enemy aircraft fought over the Channel in the Battle of Britain, with countless planes shot down and plunging into the sea. During the 85 days of the battle, RNLI crews launched 264 times. Almost half these launches were to downed aircrews. Join this talk to discover the extraordinary rescues at sea undertaken by RNLI volunteer lifesavers.

RNLI Stories of Courage 1939–45 is made possible with the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, the RNLI can share these stories.

Following on from the Museum’s own research project which led to our popular 2024 temporary exhibition ‘RNLI 200: Remembering the rescue of The Few’, Hayley will be travelling up from the RNLI Headquarters in Poole (Dorset). She will be bringing objects and archive material to display during and after the talk, so guests are encouraged to stay beyond the talk to find out more.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place below.

Friday Morning Talks: Billy Fiske - With Tony Flaherty
2026-06-19 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Tony Flaherty will be talking to us about the first American-citizen pilot to be killed in action during the Second World War, Billy Fiske.
Already famous in civilian life before the war, William ‘Billy’ Meade Lindsley Fiske III joined the RAFVR claiming to be Canadian and through his contacts joined 601 ‘The Millionaires’ Squadron RAF.
Tony will explore Fiske’s early career, as well his time time in the RAF. He will go on to explain some of the reasons why his death, burial and testimony were exhibited so publicly at such a crucial point of the war.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: D-Day Airfields - With Dom Pound
2026-06-05 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Dom Pound will be talking to us about some of the airfields used for embarkation by airborne forces for D-Day.
The talk will focus on the airfields used by the 101st Airborne for D-Day, the units flying from there and some of the achievements of then men on D-Day, including the Battery at Brecourt Manor & Objective WXYZ.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Flying Experiences - With Peter Teichman
2026-05-15 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Peter Teichman of the famous Hangar 11 Collection will be taking us through his flying experiences.
It will be a lively discussion about owning and operating a number of Legendary World War two fighters on the European Airshow circuit and the challenges involved in that.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Missing men of the Battle of Britain - Part 2 - With Dom Pound
2026-05-01 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Dom Pound will be returning to talk to us about some more of The Few who were posted missing.
Missing members of The Few Part 2 (previous attendance of part 1 not necessary): Dom will be focusing on the next group of men who were shot down in 1940, but were not found until post war recoveries allowed them to rest in peace. The men covered in this talk will be:
Lt Werner Knittle III/JG51
Gef Richard Riedel 2/JG3
Flt lt H Beresford 257 Sqn
Sgt J Brimble 73 Sqn
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: 238 & 92 Squadrons in focus - With Dom Pound
2026-04-17 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Dom Pound will be talking to us about 238 & 92 Squadrons in the Battle of Britain.
Dom will give an in depth look at two Squadrons who fought in the Battle of Britain. One well known and the other often overlooked for their parts in the battle during July-October 1940. There will be a focus on personalities of the aircrew, combats & losses.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Two British Legacies & The Dame Vera Lynn Memorial Statue - With Gary Italiaander & Susan Fleet MBE
2026-03-20 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: From a Cold War to a Hot One - My Armament experiences - With Andy White
2026-03-13 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where former RAF Armourer Andy White will be talking to us about his experiences of going from a Cold War to a Hot One, with a bit in the southern hemisphere for good luck.
He will talking us through his armament experiences over 24 years of service and will give us a brief history of the important role RAF Armourers have played over time.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Missing members of The Few (Part 1) - With Dom Pound
2026-02-27 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Dom Pound will be talking to us about some of The Few who were posted missing.
Dom who is an area manager for the Battle of Britain Historical Society and creator of the 1940 Model Trail of Remembrance.
This is story of the men who were shot down in 1940 and remained missing until recovered post war.

Sgt H Adair – 213 Sqn
PO G Drake 607 Sqn
FO F Gruszka 65 Sqn
Sgt E Egan 501 Sqn

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: HELLO APANY BLUE ONE GARTER CALLING - With Sharon Ward -Limited availability
2026-02-13 11:00 - 12:00
THIS TALK HAS LIMITED AVAILABILITY REMAINING. PLEASE EMAIL enquiries@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk IF THE BOOKING SYSTEM SHOWS FULLY BOOKED.
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Sharon Ward will talking to us about controlled interception in the Battle of Britain.
Success during the Battle of Britain was dependent on placing fighter pilots in the right place at the right time. Discover how sector operations room personnel guided and supported their pilots in their quest to meet the enemy. The story of interception.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required

Friday Morning Talks: Lesser known Aces of the Battle of Britain - With Dom Pound
2026-01-23 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Dom Pound will be returning following his talk on Ace Sgts, to talk about 3 Pilots who achieved ace status during the Battle of Britain, but are often overlooked.
Dom who is an area manager for the Battle of Britain Historical Society and creator of the 1940 Model Trail of Remembrance. He will focus in on the following pilots and tell their stories.

Flt Lt Connors 111 Sqn
Sgt Barker 264 Sqn
Hauptmann H-K Mayer JG53

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: The Shy Assassin - With Air Marshal 'Black' Robertson
2025-12-05 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Air Marshal ‘Black‘ Robertson CBE BA FRAeS FRSA RAF (Retd) will be talking to us about the story of Cyril Babbage, Battle of Britain Spitfire ace and D-Day Mosquito pilot.
This is the inspiring story of the young butcher’s son who survived being shot down three times to become a decorated Battle of Britain Spitfire ace. Rescued once from the sea by fishermen, Cyril Babbage briefly became the face of ‘the Few’ when he was pictured emerging from a boat on the beach at Bognor. He further distinguished himself by becoming the first man to shoot down one of the Luftwaffe’s new Fw 190 fighters. After two years as a flying instructor, he returned to the front line flying Mosquitos with an elite Australian night intruder squadron. The early hours of D-Day found him targeting communication hubs deep behind the lines in occupied France. A man who simply loved to fly, like so many who survived in wartime, Babbage enjoyed more than his fair share of luck; he ended his flying career instructing on Meteors and Vampires.
Black Robertson joined the RAF in 1963, instantly acquiring the nickname that’s remained with him ever since. After three years at the RAF College Cranwell he spent the next 33 in flying, staff and command appointments, including tours of duty in the USA, Germany and the Falkands. He flew all the RAF’s front line fast jet aircraft and also qualified as a helicopter pilot. The air marshal regarded ten years, five tours, as a Whitehall warrior as necessary penance for the privilege of commanding 92 Squadron, flying Phantoms, and his subsequent appointment as an ADC to HM The Queen. After a second career in business, latterly running his own defence consultancy, he now spends his time writing and lecturing The Shy Assassin is his fifth book.
About the speaker
Black Robertson joined the RAF in 1963, instantly acquiring the nickname that’s remained with him ever since. After three years at the RAF College Cranwell he spent the next 33 in flying, staff and command appointments, including tours of duty in the USA, Germany and the Falkands. He flew all the RAF’s front line fast jet aircraft and also qualified as a helicopter pilot. The air marshal regarded ten years, five tours, as a Whitehall warrior as necessary penance for the privilege of commanding 92 Squadron, flying Phantoms, and his subsequent appointment as an ADC to HM The Queen. After a second career in business, latterly running his own defence consultancy, he now spends his time writing and lecturing The Shy Assassin is his fifth book.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Forgotten Sgt Pilots of the Battle of Britain - With Dom Pound
2025-11-21 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Dom Pound will be returning to talk about 3 Sgt Pilots who achieved ace status during the Battle of Britain, but are often overlooked.
Dom who is an area manager for the Battle of Britain Historical Society and creator of the 1940 Model Trail of Remembrance. He will focus in on the following pilots and tell their stories.

Sgt William Rolls – 72 Sqn
Sgt Ronnie Hamlyn (Pictured) – 610 Sqn
Sgt William Dymond – 111 Sqn

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: The wider history of RAF Exeter - With Chris Wiseman
2025-11-07 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where the history of RAF Exeter will be brought to life through its historian Chris Wiseman.
Following on from his in depth talk on RAF Exeter in the Battle of Britain, Chris brings together a lifetime of research exploring it’s origins from 1937, right through to Exeter airport as it’s known in present day. He’ll shed light on its origins, it’s key role in the Battle of Britain, the Exeter Blitz and it’s role in D-Day. He’ll cover the types of aircraft flown from there and the impact the base had on the surrounding area, also exploring the legacy that’s left today.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: The ROC in Northern Ireland with Alan Lawley
2025-10-24 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, when Alan Lawley will be joining us to talk about the untold story of the Royal Observer Corps (ROC) in Northern Ireland.
The presentation will focus on how 31 Group faced many challenges and had to operate very differently from other ROC Groups during the ‘Troubles’.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Please note the Museum will be closing earlier than usual at 2.00pm for a private function.

Friday Morning Talks: The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) – With Aldon Ferguson
2025-10-03 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Aldon Ferguson will returning to talk to us about the vitally important role played by the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in the Second World War.
Irreverently also known as ‘Ancient and Tatty Airmen’ or ‘Anything to Anywhere’, the ATA was a vital element in ferrying aircraft around Britain and near Europe during World War Two. Formed to relieve pressure on operational aircrew, the ATA was open to pilots and engineers unable to join the RAF for various reasons such as sex, nationality, medical fitness, eyesight etc.
With an amazing group of aircrew, the ATA ferried over 309,000 aircraft. By February 1945 the ATA operated out of 20 airfields across the UK with 637 pilots of which 110 were women.
This is the story of their many achievements, many unsung, the dangers they faced, accidents and death but a dramatically successful operation.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Battle of Britain: 85 Years On – With Chris Leworthy
2025-09-19 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk. It is over 85 years since the summer of 1940 when outnumbered young pilots from 15 countries defeated the Luftwaffe. Chris will remind us of just what happened in that period, from the occupation of Northern Europe / the Low Countries and Norway / to Operation Dynamo, and the crucial and vicious 3 & 1/2 months of the Battle of Britain.
He will cover:
– The game changing Dowding defence and interception system.
– The four phases of the battle.
– The key attacks which took place on 15 September 1940, forever remembered as Battle of Britain Day.
– Draw conclusions.
– Provide a tribute.
The talk will be illustrated with maps, photographs and paintings from that time.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: RAF Exeter and the Battle of Britain - With Chris Wiseman and Dom Pound
2025-06-27 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where Chris Wiseman and Dom Pound will be talking to us about the role of RAF Exeter and it’s role within 10 Group covering the South West during the Battle of Britain.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: The RAF in Russia - With Aldon Ferguson
2025-06-20 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where Aldon Ferguson will returning to talk to us about the RAF’s defensive support of the Soviet port city of Murmansk in Russia during 1941.
Several RAF units were sent to the Murmansk region to support the Russians and open a second front against the Germans. Even then mutual mistrust clouded the operations and extreme weather, language problems and difficult supply lines made this a very hazardous operation leading to many deaths and crashes. Several RAF personnel excelled and were awarded by the Russians with the Order of Lenin. A difficult but eventually successful expedition in time of war and great pressure to protect the UK from impending German invasion.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Seaborne Observers - With John Shere
2025-06-06 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum on the anniversary of D-Day for our Friday morning talk where 81 years on, John Shere of the ROCA (Royal Observer Corps Association) will be talking to us about the unusual story of the ROC Observers who became enrolled in the Royal Navy and sailed with the allied invasion forces.
At a conference held at the Air Ministry on the 5 April 1944 it was agreed that Royal Observer Corps personnel, experienced in aircraft recognition, would be deployed to merchant vessels, wearing Royal Observer Corps uniform with the shoulder flash SEABORNE, and a Royal Navy brassard with the letters RN.
In total, 796 Observers became enrolled in the Royal Navy with the rank of Petty Officer / Aircraft Identifiers and sailed with the allied invasion forces taking part in Operation Overlord – the codename for the invasion and liberation of occupied Europe.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary Model Project - With Dom Pound
2025-05-23 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where model maker and Battle of Britain enthusiast Dom Pound will be talking to us about the Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary Model Project he has spearheaded across a number of Battle of Britain linked sites across the South East (including Bentley Priory Museum).
The models will help Bentley Priory Museum to share the story of Lock and Neil’s meeting in the sky during the summer of 1940.
Dom has been fascinated by the Battle of Britain since he was a child and describes it as a “life-long passion”.
He explains: “At the age of five I attended my first Battle of Britain reunion at RAF Kenley, back when there were still numerous veterans to still tell the story… by my late teens the numbers of the ‘Few’ had reduced drastically, but my appreciation for that vital summer of 1940 has grown and I am now dedicated to preserving the memory of the Few however I can.
“Encouraged by watching my father make kits for me as a small child, I began building my own at the age of 12. As the years passed, I took my skills to a new level, spending many hours making my models as realistic as possible and adding every ounce of spare detail I could. In late 2021, having used social media to share my builds, I received my first commissions, a catalyst for what is now a small, part-time business.
“I am now using my skills to create displays for key Battle of Britain sites in time for the 85th anniversary in 2025. I aim to create displays that are interactive and informative but that also inspire commemoration and tell stories. In total I will be creating 17 models that will be displayed at seven sites.
“I dedicate this project to the memory of the ‘Few’ and the memory of the Battle of Britain 1940.”
Further updates on this project can be found on our webpage here:
https://bpm.takeoff-dev.co.uk/battle-of-britain-85th-anniversary-model-project/
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Hello Stanmore Dover Calling New Raid - with Sharon Ward
2025-05-16 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Sharon Ward will be taking us through how the use of RDF (later known as Radar) was a key component of the integrated air defence system during the Battle of Britain.
Personnel working at coastal radar stations & in the filter room gave Fighter Command essential warning of the approach of enemy raids during the Battle of Britain. This non-technical presentation will cover their work; what they did & how they did it. No knowledge of radar or physics required!
About the speaker
Sharon has been a volunteer tour guide at Bentley Priory Museum since it opened. She has studied archived original sources researching the technologies & inner workings of the air defence system at the time of the Battle of Britain with the thoroughness and attention to detail of an experienced Systems Analyst. She is also a local historian and has contributed towards several of the Harrow Heritage Trust plaques around the area.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Intelligence, Events and Organisations - With Ron Koorm
2025-05-02 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where following last year’s fantastic talk on Intelligence People and Places, Ron Koorm will return to talk about some of the Intelligence Events and Organisations during the the 2nd World War.
Ronald Koorm is an established author on military history, codebreaking and intelligence, currently finalising a WW2 Codebreaking Glossary in three volumes, covering worldwide people, places, events, organisations, deception, equipment, and systems. The Talk will focus on certain selected, specific Events and Organisations which had an impact on the outcome of the war. From the largest engineering factory in Europe during WW2, to how Allied codebreaking machines were designed and built. The contribution of women in wartime and their achievement across different parts of the world.
We have to acknowledge that while the UK was established in intelligence gathering and processing, we also relied on many external organisations and people around the world to help defeat the enemy, and provide invaluable support. With his extensive research the speaker located some relevant wartime photos which had never been seen before by the Museum archivist at GCHQ. Some of those will be published in volume two of the author’s glossary.
The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Images courtesy of The National Cryptologic Museum, USA ©

Friday Morning Talks: Forgotten stories. Lesser known members of The Few - With Dom Pound
2025-03-28 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where Dom Pound will be telling the stories behind 3 of the perhaps lesser known members of The Few.

Dom will be focusing on:
Flt Lt W. Rhodes-Moorehouse 601 Sqn
Flt Lt W. Rushmer 603 Sqn
Flt Lt J. Sanders 615 Sqn

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: 5K from the Frontline; Documenting the war in Eastern Ukraine - With Anastasia Taylor-Lind
2025-03-21 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind will be talking us through her time spent documenting the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Anastasia will be talking to us about impact of the war on the lives of those ordinary people living along the frontline, which she has captured so vividly in her photographic project ‘5K from the Frontline’.
Anastasia is a photojournalist who has recently been commissioned by the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund for us, to capture photographs of women serving in the RAF today. These will be available to view in our next temporary exhibition titled ‘Ad Astra’ opening on Friday 21 March.
About the speaker
Anastasia Taylor-Lind is a British/Swedish photojournalist and a poet.
For the past decade Anastasia has collaborated with Alisa Sopova, a journalist and an anthropologist from the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. In 2023, she received the Canon Female Photojournalist Award for her long-term reporting from eastern Ukraine, and over 100,000 people visited her exhibition ‘Ukraine: Photographs from the Frontline’ at the Imperial War Museum.
Anastasia is a National Geographic Society Explorer, TED Fellow, and 2016 Nieman Fellow at Harvard university. Her first book Maidan – Portraits from the Black Square, about the 2014 revolution in Ukraine, was published the same year. Her debut poetry collection One Language was published by Smith|Doorstop in 2022.
Anastasia has Masters degrees in photojournalism and poetry.

The talk will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre and entry is included with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Photos by Anastasia Taylor-Lind ©

FULLY BOOKED - Friday Morning Talks: Stanford Tuck – With Helen Doe - FULLY BOOKED
2025-02-28 11:00 - 12:00
This talk is now fully booked. A waiting list for places is in place on a first come, first served basis in the event of any drop outs. Please email us on enquiries@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk if you would like to be added to this.
Join us for our Friday morning talk, where popular historian, author and speaker Helen Doe will be talking about the legendry Stanford Tuck.
Her book is a completely new biography of this famous fighter ace. In January 1942 Tuck was one of the top three fighter aces. With film star good looks, he was a glamorous role model for the RAF publicity machine and an eager press and public wanting wartime heroes. He fought over Dunkirk and distinguished himself in the Battle of Britain. But in 1942 he was shot down and imprisoned in Stalag Luft III where his roommate was Roger Bushell, the Great Escape mastermind. Tuck narrowly escaped being murdered by the Nazis and later made a successful escape into Russian territory.
The book has been written with access to Tuck’s personal papers and seeks to understand the complex man behind the myths.
About Helen Doe
Helen Doe is a historian, author and speaker with a particular love of maritime subjects. It is people, often the ordinary and, sometimes unsung, heroes and heroines that attract her attention. She has written a range of books from maritime history to RAF history.
A popular speaker, Helen has spoken at several literary festivals and is a regular guest on cruise ships.
She has appeared on television, most recently in an episode of Who Do You Think You Are? She has advised on many TV programmes including David Dimbleby’s Britain and the Sea.

This talk will take place onsite in the Museum’s Learning Centre and is included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
This talk is now fully booked. A waiting list for places is in place on a first come, first served basis in the event of any drop outs. Please email us on enquiries@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk if you would like to be added to this.

CANCELLED - Friday Morning Talks: The Stanmores and Harrow Weald – Part 3 – With John Williams - CANCELLED
2025-02-14 11:00 - 12:00
*Originally postponed, this talk has now been cancelled owing to the sad news of the passing of the speaker, John Williams.

John was not only one of our valued Friday Morning Talks speakers. He had been a Museum Trustee for many years and continued as a volunteer after he stepped down.

John was incredibly supportive of the Museum and its foundation; promoting it in the local Stanmore community and offering hands-on support over the years. His latest project was overseeing the repainting/restoration of the Bunker doors to enhance the visitor experience.

He will be missed deeply by many of us at the Museum who got know him so well over the years.

Friday Morning Talks: Dad's Army Goes To War - With Melody Foreman
2025-02-07 11:00 - 12:00
Join us for our Friday Morning Talk, where Melody Foreman will be talking us through the real military service history of many of the cast in the much loved comedy sitcom Dad’s Army.
For decades the classic, evergreen BBC comedy Dad’s Army has entertained millions of viewers around the world. But the farcical antics of Walmington-on-Sea’s bumbling Home Guard platoon camouflage the true military service of some of the actors themselves. Despite their light-hearted appearance, many of the cast saw active service in one, or even both, of the world wars – and much of it far from humorous.
About the speaker
MELODY FOREMAN is a journalist with experience in newspapers and television documentaries. She also works as a book sommelier and public speaker. Melody is the author of the best-selling Bomber Girls, A Spitfire Girl, the biography of Air Transport Auxiliary pilot Mary Wilkins Ellis, The Wreck Hunter: Battle of Britain and the Blitz, and two books about the history of Kent. Melody is a regular contributor to national publications including Britain at War magazine. She maintains an avid interest in the social history of both the First and Second World Wars, literature, art, film and theatre studies. www.melodyforeman.co.uk

This talk will take place onsite in the Museum’s Operations Room gallery and is included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required
This talk was advertised as fully booked, but we’re pleased to say that it will now be held in our Operations Room gallery and further bookings will be taken. Please email enquiries@bentleypriorymuseum.org.uk or call 020 8950 5526 if you would like to book.

Friday Morning Talks: Stalin's Female Pilots - The Night Witches - With Debbie Land
2024-11-29 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday Morning Talk, where Debbie Land will be speaking about Stalin’s Female Pilots, known as The Night Witches.
A look at the engagement of women in Stalin’s Air Force, with focus on the Night Witches and the Polikarpov PO2.
We will lightly venture into the Russian historical timeline, to look at some of the women involved in WWI, aviatrix progress during the inter-war years and introduce some of the key players who felt the need to respond to Operation Barbarossa.
About the speaker
Debbie is the Costume and Carriage Curator / Volunteer Co-Ordinator at the Shuttleworth Collection & Gardens in Bedfordshire. She is also responsible for leading the flightline tours at the ever popular Shuttleworth airshows.
It will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre for those with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
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Friday Morning Talks: Phew! That Was Close - With Air Marshal GA 'Black' Robertson
2024-11-08 11:00 - 12:00
Join us at the Museum for our Friday morning talk, where Air Marshal (Retd) GA ‘Black’ Robertson will be returning to speak about some extraordinary individual’s experiences that are featured in his latest book ‘Flying Through the Ranks’.
Popular speaker Air Marshal Black Robertson returns on Friday 8 November with another fascinating talk: Phew – That Was Close! It’s based on his latest book, Flying Through the Ranks, where contributors from a Marshal of the RAF to a Junior Technician tell a series of extraordinary stories that run the gamut of risk-taking from the Cold War to the Balkans.
To give you a flavour of some eye-opening experiences, you’ll hear of a Lightning first-tourist who succumbs to the ‘press-on spirit’. In the Falklands a calculated gamble puts tanker crews in grave danger, while a brilliant, almost equally risky piece of improvisation averts potential disaster for a young Hunter pilot. Then from Kosovo comes the tale of an astonishing helicopter escape. There are engineer stories too, not least those from a UK base seemingly prone to serious accidents. Central to so many of these riveting tales is the bond between those who fly and those who support them on the ground – as is the most important factor of them all: sheer good fortune. Don’t miss this enthralling illustrated presentation.
About the speaker
Air Marshal GA ‘Black’ Robertson CBE BA FRAeS FRSA RAF (Retd)
‘Black’ Robertson joined the RAF in 1963, instantly acquiring the nickname that’s remained with him ever since. After 3 years at the RAF College, Cranwell, he spent the next three decades in flying, staff and command appointments including tours of duty in the USA, Germany and the Falkands. He flew all the RAF’s front line fighter aircraft and also qualified as a helicopter pilot. A trustee of the David Vaisey Awards, a Cranfield Trust mentor and an ambassador for the National Spitfire Monument, www.nationalspitfireproject, he now devotes his time mainly to lecturing and writing and has appeared at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Gloucester History Festival. Flying Through the Ranks is his fourth book; for more information, see www.blackrobertson.com.

It will take place in the Museum’s Learning Centre for those with Museum admission or Annual Membership.
Advance booking required – please reserve your place via the link below.
Reserve Your Place
