The extraordinary life of Sandy Irvine, the youngest member of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition is the subject of this lively and beautifully illustrated talk. It explores his early life and asks what made him so exceptional that grandees of the Mount Everest Committee thought it advisable to invite him onto the expedition. And, once invited, how was it that a young man of twenty-two was chosen by Mallory to make the final attempt to reach the top of the world?

This talk focuses on the similarities and differences between the film Bridge on the River Kwai and the historical reality of the building of the bridge at Tamarkan in 1942. It looks at the personality of Colonel Nicholson, played in an Oscar winning performance by Alec Guinness, and that of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey, whose Oscar winning performances went unnoticed by the outside world although they were widely admired by the men in his prison camps. Did the prisoners whistle Colonel Bogey? Did they help or hinder the Japanese when designing and building the bridge? How many bridges are there on the River Kwai? Illustrated talk with original archive recordings of Toosey talking about the prison camps.

This talk touches on the three most recent books and assesses the value of good picture research. It is surprising how much can be achieved with a minimal amount of good photographic material. An enthusiastic approach to picture archives has sometimes led to first rate finds of unpublished material. Luck plays a part too, especially when pictures fall out of books or trunks appear after seventy seven years in a family attic. This talk was recently given as part of a seminar on family history when members of the audience were invited to bring their own pictures for discussion. It was enthusiastically received. This is only possible with a group of 20 or less.

First given at the Oxford Literary Festival 2005.

In May 1917 a remarkable organisation was given Royal Charter. Its brief, one of the most ambitious imaginable: to commemorate in perpetuity the one million Imperial servicemen who died in the Great War. Extended to cover the dead of the Second World War the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is represented in 150 countries, 23,000 burial locations and commemorates 1.7 million men and women. This talk, illustrated with stunning images by award winning photographer, Brian Harris, traces the early history of the Commission focussing on the personalities that brought this great institution into being.

For over sixty years the effect of men returning from the Second World War has been felt in homes and families. Often troubled by their experiences of battles or prison camps, men found it hard to readjust to life in Britain in the immediate aftermath and the repercussions have been felt by mothers, wives, children and even grandchildren. But how was it for the women? This talk will look at some of the stories and consider why this important area of our social history has been so little examined. With the enormous interest in family history today, this talk is relevant to any one interested in the whys and wherefores of our immediate past.