Probus Hears About the Loss of American colonies

Posted on by Paul Flint
Mayor of Basingstoke & Deane BC Cllr Jacky Tustain with President Paul Klinger

The Mayor of Basingstoke & Deane BC, the Worshipful Cllr Jacky Tustain, was the guest of honour at the latest meeting of the Probus Club of Basingstoke.  She spoke about her aim to be more community focussed with charities that are trying to improve circumstances for young people especially in the job market. Basingstoke has a positive image with 7,000 business employing 85,000 people generating £8 billion per annum for the local economy.

The Probus Club of Basingstoke was please to make a donation to the mayor’s charity appeal.

President Paul Klinger with Dr Stephen Goss

The guest speaker was historian Dr Stephen Goss whose subject title “America is Lost” was topical as it was 250 years ago, on 4th July 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed on behalf of the thirteen colonies situated on the eastern side of America.

Declaration of Independence signed on 4 July 1776 Author Thomas Jefferson owned hundreds of slaves

The principal author was Thomas Jefferson, a member of the Continental Congress. It was a statement of universal rights with the famous phrase “all men are created equal” that set the tone for the world’s first modern republic.

The American War of Independence began as tensions between Great Britain and its North American colonies escalated beyond repair. What started as disputes over taxation, representation, and imperial authority that included the demand that locals provide quarters for up to 10,000 Red Coats soon grew into a full‑scale struggle for self‑government.

Driven by a rising sense of political identity and resentment toward British control, the colonies ultimately chose to fight for a new nation built on principles of liberty and democratic rule.

An example of intervention by foreign powers was the smuggling of tea by the Dutch was seen by the British as a loss of tax revenue which brought about the closure of Boston harbour. The infamous Boston Tea Party took place in December 1773 as locals dressed as native American Indians threw over 300 cases of tea into the Boston harbour to the value of £10,000, a fortune in yesterday’s money.

The Boston Tea Party had colonists disguised as native American Indians

The colonists resisted what they saw as escalating tyranny by Britain whereas Britain saw things differently, as was the case with many proposals during what became a seven years’ war that involved other countries. France, Spain and the Netherlands sided with the colonists while the Prussians were on Britain’s side as were most native American Indians who supported Britain’s view that the colonies should not be permitted to expand westwards of the Mississippi river.

The Americans had an unequal split of opinion as to the merits of fighting for recognition. This was also the case in Britain with an increasing appreciation of the difficulties and cost in fighting a war at least 3,000 miles away that was spreading into the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and even as far as India.

The colonists saw things in simplistic terms – liberty versus tyranny, the new world versus the old world, citizen farmers versus professional Red Coats. 

10,000 Red Coats were stationed in the colonies

George Washington led the Continental Army but did not normally attempt frontal assaults against members of the most powerful army in the world at that time but relied on short skirmishes to harry the British. Bunker Hill, Lexington, Concord, Germantown and the defeat of the British at York Town by the combined forces of the Continental Army, supported by the French military and French navy, are names made famous in this revolutionary war.

Final agreement was made in the Treaty of Paris in 1783 being signed by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams, and others, on behalf of the colonists. British policy was to be generous to the colonists, formally recognising the United States as an independent and sovereign nation. It set boundaries between British North America, later known as Canada, and the United States. The purpose was to establish good trading links with the expanding market in north America without having the responsibility and cost of governing the country.

As part of the reparations and settlements on all sides the Spanish regained Menorca but gave up all claims to Gibraltar. A situation that in very recent times has seen Spain dismantle all border controls between itself and this British Overseas Territory.

Probus Club Cruise on “John Pinkerton” 23 April 2026

Posted on by Paul Flint

Report by Outings Organiser Chris Perkins MVO

A warm, fine sunny April day greeted our group of twenty-three members and partners of the Probus Club of Basingstoke for a cruise on the Basingstoke Canal from Odiham to Church Crookham.  A number of us met up beforehand and enjoyed a good lunch and chat in the Waterwitch Pub alongside the canal. 

The first plans for the development of the Basingstoke Canal were drawn up in 1776, as a means of transporting agricultural produce from central Hampshire. Approved by an Act of Parliament the construction contract was awarded to John Pinkerton, and his local family of contractors: his memory lives on to this day with one of the barges bearing his name. The waterway was completed in 1794 and connected Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation. 

It has had mixed fortunes ever since, not least tunnel collapses, bankruptcies, falling demand and constant limited water supply. It was never a commercial success and, starting in 1950, a lack of maintenance allowed the canal to become increasingly derelict.

In 1966 the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society (now renamed the Basingstoke Canal Society) was formed by a group of local enthusiasts, with a view to reopening the derelict canal.  Restoration commenced in 1977 and on 10 May 1991 the canal was reopened as a fully navigable waterway stretching for 32 miles.

Today, the Canal provides a superb facility for water activities, a haven for wildlife (it is an SSSI), an amenity for recreation and well-being, and a heritage asset. It is run by the Basingstoke Canal Authority (BCA), using public money from the Surrey and Hampshire County councils and from local councils along its restored length.  Notwithstanding modern-day financial constraints, the Society works with the BCA to make the most of opportunities to promote the Canal with its owners, users and the General Public.

All told, it was a wonderful afternoon on the canal aboard the “John Pinkerton”. The crew of four volunteers, led by ‘Skipper’ Tony Welsh, were extremely friendly and well informed, pointing out points of interest and wildlife en-route.  An on-board galley served hot and cold drinks including alcoholic along with snack items. They were well priced too. The weather was absolutely perfect and the boat was beautifully presented and comfortable too. It was indeed a very pleasant and relaxing afternoon and a most calming experience for all of us.

Probus Learn About Black Broadcasting the Secret Weapon of WW2

Posted on by Paul Flint
President Stephen Thair with speaker Guy Caplin

Members of the Probus Club of Basingstoke were treated to a fascinating slice of little‑known wartime history when speaker Guy Caplin explored the covert world of “black broadcasting” during the Second World War.

Most people recognise the chilling call sign “Germany calling, Germany calling,” made infamous by William Joyce—better known as Lord Haw-Haw—who broadcast Nazi propaganda in English from Germany. Joseph Goebbels, one of the most senior figures in the Nazi Party, understood the power of radio, and his propaganda machine was relentless. In response, Winston Churchill authorised Britain to develop its own clandestine broadcasting operation.

The BBC already produced German‑language programmes but refused to engage in subversive work. As a result, a secret unit was formed under the leadership of Dennis Sefton Delmer. Born in Berlin to an Australian professor, Delmer was fluent in German and had worked as the Daily Express newspaper’s foreign correspondent. His close contact with rising Nazi figures—including a 1931 interview with Hitler—made him simultaneously suspected by the Germans of being a British spy and by the British of being a German one.

Sefton Delmer broadcasting to German audiences in 1941

Delmer’s acquaintance with Commander Ian Fleming, then deputy head of Naval Intelligence and later creator of James Bond, likely helped secure his role. Delmer’s mission was to broadcast in German, blending accurate news with carefully crafted misinformation designed to sow doubt and anxiety within the German military.

A Network of Deception

The first of several covert radio stations was established at Wavendon Towers near Bletchley Park. These stations mimicked genuine German broadcasters with remarkable skill, using up‑to‑the‑minute news, recordings of Hitler’s speeches, and snippets of local detail supplied by agents to create an air of authenticity.

At Fleming’s request, a dedicated station was created to target the German navy and U‑boat crews operating in the North Atlantic. Styled after pre‑war commercial stations like Radio Luxembourg, it played popular German songs, British orchestras performing German music, and American dance band tracks—much to the irritation of German authorities but to the delight of listeners. Interspersed among the entertainment were subtle pieces of misinformation.

One of the British operation’s greatest advantages was speed. German broadcasts were slowed by layers of internal checks, while British stations could leap ahead, airing news before the enemy could. Agents even supplied local football results, and a popular presenter known as “Vicki” took music requests, further enhancing the illusion of legitimacy.

Influencing the Axis

Fleming also oversaw the creation of Radio Livorno, an English‑run but Italian‑language station. Its propaganda proved so persuasive that, fearing the British advance through southern Italy, the Italian navy surrendered its fleet to the British in Malta.

Aspidistra the world’s most powerful radio transmitter

Another major asset was the Aspidistra transmitter at Crowborough in Sussex. Named after the Gracie Fields song, it was the most powerful medium‑wave transmitter in the world at 500 kW. Its ability to switch frequencies instantly allowed it to replace German stations knocked off the air, convincing listeners they were still tuned to their local broadcaster.

Unusual Tactics

The British also experimented with more unconventional methods. The RAF dropped boxes containing homing pigeons and questionnaires, encouraging civilians to send back information—though many pigeons, sadly, ended up as food during shortages.

A daily newspaper summarising the previous day’s broadcasts was also printed and dropped over Germany, reinforcing the disinformation campaign and gradually eroding public confidence.

German language newspaper dropped by RAF

After the War

Following Germany’s defeat, Sefton Delmer was sent to help rebuild the German newspaper industry. With little support, he eventually returned to the Daily Express. In recognition of his wartime service, he was awarded the OBE in 1945, being described as a section head in the Foreign Office.

Probus Hears About Military Medicine

Posted on by Paul Flint
President Stephen Thair with David Wiggins

The impact of weapons technology on combat injuries forced the evolution of military medicine technology.

Such changes occurred over the centuries, but it was during the English Civil War when Oliver Cromwell with the Model Army repurposed a building to create the Savoy Hospital in 1642. He had realised that the previous system of camp followers tending to the wounded no longer suited with firearms causing different wounds.

Good teeth needed to load muskets

David Wiggins, the curator of the Museum of Military Medicine, currently in the process of transferring from the Keogh Barracks in Ash Vale near Aldershot to be near the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, outlined the medical advances and health care since the time of Cromwell to the Probus Club of Basingstoke.

The real improvements emerged with the recognition that many combatants survived their initial surgery but died due to general conditions and disease. Regiments had their own small medical teams, but it was in the Peninsular Wars of 1808 –14 that the medical services of the army were organised on a more formal basis.

Records show that during the Crimean War 1853-56 there were 4,600 combat injuries yet 20,000 died through typhus/typhoid. Enter Florence Nightingale with her disciplined approach to medical care that started a reversal of such statistics so that during the Boer War 1899-1902 with 22,000 wounded that a reduced percentage of 7,400 died from dysentery or typhoid fever.

The industrial scale of WW1 1914-18 brought in new wounds due to advances in military equipment. There was an equalisation between combat deaths and disease and a recognition that it was imperative to remove casualties from the battlefield to proper recovery settings.

Basingstoke made Thornycroft J type lorry converted as ambulance

Tented casualty clearing stations then led to casualty evacuation by various methods. Motorised ambulance, some made by Thornycroft in Basingstoke converted from the order for 5,000 of their J type 3-ton vehicle, inland canal barges, hospital ships and trains.

Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley

The Royal Victoria Hospital was built at Netley with its own jetty on the Solent and on a branch line ambulance trains brought casualties directly to Park Prewett hospital in Basingstoke used for Canadian troop casualties.

Canadian patients at Park Prewett Hospital in Basingstoke

Blood transfusions, X-rays, gas masks for men, horses and dogs, improved designs of splints and the introduction of the Brodie steel helmet in 1916 all helped reduce deaths by 80%.

Major Harold Gillies RAMC

A medical officer, Harold Gillies introduced skin grafts to maxillo-facial reconstruction that became known as plastic surgery with patients at Rooksdown part of Park Prewett hospital in Basingstoke. Today a general medical practice surgery in the town is named after this famous surgeon.

WW2 1939-45 saw further use of field surgical and transfusion units positioned as close as possible to the point of injury. But it was another medical officer, Alexander Fleming, who in 1943 developed the wonder drug, Penicillin, that became a game changer in recovery outcomes.

Post 1945 the helicopter became crucial to the recovery of battlefield casualties with the popular later TV programme, MASH, demonstrating the joined-up thinking with the connection of emergency evacuation with a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean war 1950-53.

Medical evacuation by helicopter in the Falklands

Helicopter use was necessary during the Falklands conflict of 1982 transferring casualties to hospital ships while the Afghan campaign 2001-2021, saw significant use of various helicopters in both the deployment of troops and casualty evacuation. Many casualties received medical support at Headley Court near Birmingham that become famous for the increasing use of prosthetics.

Peacetime also sees military services in demand under ‘hearts and minds’ policies both for medical and dentistry work in foreign countries. The Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa needed their intervention and at home the Covid-19 pandemic saw the construction of temporary hospitals.

Peacetime medical aid under “Hearts & Minds”

2024 saw the amalgamation of three historical medical sections into one cohesive unit called the Royal Army Medical Service (RAMS). These were the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) founded in 1898, the Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) founded 1921 and the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) founded 1902. The aim is to provide full medical and dentistry services to our military for use in peacetime and during conflict to a level matching that of the NHS.

Probus Member Ticks One Off His Bucket List

Posted on by Paul Flint

Many people watch this annual event either as bystanders or seeing reports on television, the world-famous London to Brighton veteran car run. It was set up to celebrate the change in the law in 1896 that increased speed limits from 4 to 14 miles per hour dispensing with the need to have a man with a red flag walking in front of new-fangled self-propelled vehicles.

This year there was another celebration, that of it being the 125th anniversary of the 1,000 miles Trial round Britain of 1900. A Wolsey car that took place on that rally was also an entry on this year’s London to Brighton run.

A good reason, then, for Dave Kitson, a member of the Probus Club of Basingstoke with a well known penchant for things mechanical and aeronautical, to make a day of it. He could see the start in Hyde Park in London and then follow events by train and bus as the rally progressed to Brighton.

His travel plans immediately unravelled as the first train from Basingstoke on Sunday arrived in the capital at 8.35 am, far too late to see the first cars setting off at 7.00 am. So, he decided to watch the rally go past at Westminster Bridge. And it was here that things took an unexpected turn to the bizarre.

Standing below Big Ben as it chimed 8.45 am, a car, unusually with no passenger, stopped at the traffic lights. Dave made eye contact with the driver, raised his hitch-hiking thumb, pointed at the empty passenger seat and to his great surprise, was invited onboard. Not dressed for the exposure of an open car the kindly driver found a drover’s coat that went some way to avoid Dave becoming too cold.

A surprised Dave Kitson on board a 1904 Cadillac

Regulations state that all entries must have been manufactured before 1905 with the oldest participant this year being made in 1894. Our intrepid hitch hiker’s car, entry number 289, was a 1904 Cadillac which had a single cylinder eight horsepower horizontal engine, with two gears driving a chain to the rear wheels.

A similar Cadillac was sold six months ago for £145,000

The driver claimed that not only was this his 44th London to Brighton run but also in the rally this year he had another similar model of Cadillac being driven by a friend, and his son was driving a 1903 French made Panhard et Levassor which had a two-cylinder engine producing 7 horsepower. The three cars had a total value of around three hundred thousand pounds.

Not only did Dave have the unexpected pleasure of being a participant in this world-famous rally he had the additional duties of helping to look out for the route markers, make left arm signals and best of all acknowledge the applause of the spectators lining the route.

More than once, it was necessary to give the appropriate hand signal to drivers cutting across in front of a 121-year-old car that did not have ABS brakes and sometimes hardly any brakes at all.

Next to the Cadillac is the American made White steamer car

The RAC were out in force and in front of every stationary van was a veteran car in distress. It became obvious that as they caught up with the driver’s son that his Panhard was alarmingly emitting steam. They stopped at a petrol station to refill the radiator and carried on to Purley where many cars had pulled into a church car park for a desperately welcome hot coffee.

Much mechanic expertise ready to resolve any problems

It was there while investigating the water loss of the Panhard that a team of eight RAC mechanics diagnosed a seized water pump and declared the problem terminal. It was probably an unrealistic expectation that any of their service vans would carry a replacement water pump for an ancient French car.

End of the rally for the Panhard et Levassor with a seized water pump

It was here that Dave’s adventure came to a halt. The son took the dad’s Cadillac to drive on to Brighton while dad was left to organise rescue transport to take the Panhard back to Yorkshire after following to Brighton to collect both Cadillacs that were two of 340 cars that reached Brighton from 400 starters.

Dave travelled from Purley station back to Basingstoke, reflecting on his experience that was always the final scene in the Aardman Animation films when Wallace says” It had been a grand day out, Gromit.”

Probus Hears About The History Of Television

Posted on by Paul Flint

Speaker and Probus Club member, Gareth Lewis, outlined the development of a subject deeply affecting our lives: that of television.

Speaker Gareth Lewis

Where did it come from? Was it invented? Did it happen by accident? The concept of transmitting sound, let alone pictures by wire, was beyond the imaginations of the greatest minds in preceding years.

Although considered by many that television was simply ‘invented’ in this country by Scotsman John Logie Baird, there were many scientists before him in the 18th and 19th centuries whose developments paved the way that ultimately resulted in electronic television.

Italian Volta, in 1799, created the first battery. Using this invisible force of electricity Sir Humphrey Davy, inventor of the miners’ safety lamp, created the first arc lamp. In 1896, William Crookes developed the cathode ray tube to show that cathode rays could travel through space in straight lines causing residual gasses to glow. This was further developed by Ferdinand Braun in Germany with his phosphor-coated display tube which laid the groundwork for electronic imaging.

The brilliance at Cambridge University of JJ Thomson (Nobel Physics Prize recipient in 1906) further developed the tube, causing a “beam” of rays to be controlled. Several of his students and later his son all won the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Early in the 1900s, Archibald Campbell Simpson, a British Theoretical Scientist, published a paper proposing a ‘scanning system’ that would eventually form the basis of transmitting an image.

Baird used this electro-mechanical scanning method to develop the first transmission by wire from one room to another of the image of the head of a ventriloquist’s dummy. The British Government recognised the potential of such a system and funded its development.

John Logie Baird with his first transmission

It was the development of wireless transmissions following inventions by Marconi that the GPO became involved with the early radio broadcasts in 1906.

The British Broadcasting Company was formed 1922 as a trade body for the radio industry. It was converted in 1926 into The British Broadcasting Corporation and financed by a radio licence. Under government direction, the BBC played a pivotal role in bringing into existence the TV system using studios.

It will soon be 100 years since the Baird system of transmission using a scanning disk was first broadcast. The Baird Televisor sets sold to affluent Londoners were made by the Plessey Company and cost the equivalent of several year’s earning of the average man.

Meanwhile, in America, Philo Farnswoth, firstly at Westinghouse and then at RCA, in cooperation with Russian émigré Mr Zworykin, developed the first electronic practical TV camera tube, the Iconoscope. This was further developed by a British Russian scientist, Isaac Schoenberg at the EMI laboratories in Hayes, Middlesex, into a more robust and usable camera tube, the CPS Emitron. The first ‘High-Definition TV system” was in development.

Guided by the Government, in 1937 the BBC trialed both the mechanical Baird and the EMI electronic transmission systems eventually settling on the EMI/Marconi version that was able to provide an image consisting of 405 lines – the world’s first high-definition television.

Public television broadcasting began in the London area in 1936 but ceased in September 1939 at the outbreak of WW2.

Alexandra Palace began transmissions in 1936

Technical advances in radar made during hostilities brought improvements in the quality of transmissions when resuming in 1946. Again, the GPO was heavily involved in building lines to enable regional broadcasting to be introduced which necessitated substantial investment.

Gareth Lewis shared several memorable experiences from his forty-one-year career in broadcast engineering, which took him to many places around the world. Starting with the BBC in 1968 he worked in the famous Television Centre at White City as a project engineer. During the ruinous year of industrial unrest in the UK 1975, he moved to South Africa to be a part of the introduction of colour television in that country.

Returning to England after several years working overseas, he joined Sony in Basingstoke and among other things, became involved with the engineers working for a little-known Australian TV mogul – Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch wanted to broadcast four channels simultaneously by satellite to the UK, and Sony was able to supply equipment that would achieve this aim, which was the start of Sky Television based in Brentford, West London.

Gareth Lewis is of the opinion that over the next few years, the days of linear broadcasting schedules of programmes may disappear. It will become normal to stream programmes to watch at leisure, as is now happening with internet provided television. Possibly then, the days of the BBC licence fee may become a thing of the past.

Probus Hears About HMS Broadsword in the Falklands War 1982

Posted on by Paul Flint
President Stephen Thair with speaker Charlie Threlfall

For speaker Charlie Threlfall, as a short-term Royal Navy officer, the prospect of a goodwill tour of ten countries had great appeal.

Aged 19 in early April 1982 he was on HMS Broadsword at anchor in Gibraltar. They were readying for a series of social events and cocktail parties across the world as they planned to show off their three years old warship. Launched in 1979 as a Type 22 Guided Missile Frigate with a displacement of 4,500 tons and a crew of 235, HMS Broadsword was the epitome of the latest thinking in naval warfare. It had no traditional gun batteries but an assortment of guided missiles that could lock on a target without fail.

HMS Broadsword

That very week, on 2nd April 1982, Sub Lieutenant Charlie Threlfall’s life changed forever. The Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic were invaded by Argentinian forces. On 5th April HMS Broadsword left Gibraltar heading for Ascension Island, about halfway to the Malvinas, as the Argentinians called this British protectorate.

There, a group of twenty war ships and supply vessels was assembled, painting out any identification marks to confuse any attacking forces. Southbound, they sailed in close convoy using no radar and no lights at night so that they could not be located by the enemy. The crew went on Defence Watches of six hours on, six hours off. They were lucky to get four hours sleep each day for ten weeks.

The British submarine Conqueror sank the Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano on 2 May. Questions were asked in Britain if it was a legitimate target as it was purported to be sailing away from the conflict zone, a situation denied years later by the ship’s captain. All Argentinian naval ships were ordered back to port and then only aerial attacks continued at the extreme limits of their range.

Action stations came on 4h May when HMS Sheffield was hit by an air launched anti-ship Exocet missile. 170 sailors from the Sheffield were rescued by Broadsword.

HMS Broadsword, along with HMS Coventry were positioned in San Carlos Water, and were unable to spot enemy aircraft approaching over land, and were strafed and bombed, being unable to offer much resistance. Crew were instructed not to shoot at helicopters only fast jets.

Broadsword and Coventry were then positioned at sea to the west of the Falklands to draw aircraft fire from the troops. With two approaching enemy jets HMS Coventry was hit by three 500lb bombs, caught fire and eventually sank. But as it came across the bow of Broadsword it prevented them from firing their missiles.

It was then discovered that at sea it was impossible to reload the four Exocet launchers on Broadsword once the initial four missiles had been fired. One of many lessons learnt during this conflict and that were eventually incorporated into naval practice. Having the correct missiles and numerous life-threatening experiences ultimately enhanced sailors’ safety.

HMS Broadsword had a narrow escape from following the fate of HMS Coventry as a 1000lb bomb travelling at 450 mph hit the ship towards the stern, 10 feet above water level, travelled through two decks and emerged upwards through the flight deck, where it took off the nose of a Lynx helicopter, and bounced overboard, failing to explode.

Lynx Helicopter Missing its Nose
Charlie Threlfall promoted to Lieutenant

Six British war ships were lost and sixteen damaged during this conflict. 649 Argentinian military personnel, 255 British and three civilian islanders lost their lives. Charlie Threlfall knows the name of the Argentinian pilot who sent the 1000lb bomb into the side of HMS Broadsword. He says he would never shake his hand as two of his fellow schoolboys from his street on the Isle of Wight were in this conflict. One was a cook and was killed in this action while another, like himself, survived, thereby becoming a member of the ‘Bomb Alley Survivors Club’

Probus Visit D-Day HQ

Posted on by Paul Flint
Probus members and families outside of Southwick House

A group of Probus members and families had an impressive visit to Southwick House (locally pronounced “Suthick”) positioned five miles north of Portsmouth that had a pivotal role in the planning of D-Day, the largest amphibious assault in history.

 It was the Supreme Headquarters of the main allied commanders, including Allied Supreme Commander General Dwight D Eisenhower, Naval Commander-in-Chief Admiral Ramsey, Army Commander-in-Chief General Montgomery, and Commander-in-Chief Allied Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory. The grounds became the Main Tactical Base for the 21st Army Group for their forthcoming invasion plans.

Richard Callaghan, the curator, gave an extensive narrative about the map room that still contains the enormous graphic showing the invasion plans. His talk was interwoven with anecdotes about incidents involving the main characters that gave life to this history lesson.

Map Room with the large wall graphic showing the planning routes

Deception was used to convince the German high command that the invasion would come across the shortest route from Kent to Pas de Calais which caused German divisions to move from the Normandy region.

James Stagg was the meteorologist providing weather forecasts to the senior planning group. As a civilian he would have difficulty in ensuring he would be taken seriously so he was presented with the uniform of a RAF Group Captain. It was Stagg that convinced General Eisenhower to postpone the assault from the planned day of 5th June to 6th June 1944.

Group Captain James Stagg became head of the Meteorological Office post war
Kay Summersby, driver, secretary and “friend” of General Eisenhower

6,000 ships were involved moving from all regions of southern England to the main dispersal area that became known as Piccadilly Circus and then had to pass through corridors cleared through minefields in the Channel. Thanks to detailed planning only seven ships were involved in collisions.

Despite the break in the weather there was still a swell, and the floating Sherman tanks were launched too far out from the shore resulting in only four out of thirty-two reaching the beach. It had been necessary to ensure that the beach would support such vehicles by nighttime investigations in the previous weeks that had not been spotted by the land-based Germans.

LCT (Landing Craft Tank) ships were vital to carrying tanks and heavy equipment to the beaches

In the adjacent bar room, the original weather maps were on the wall along with other memorabilia including models of two LCT (Landing Craft Tank) ships that were the subject of a talk some years ago by Probus member Brian Nagle.

Commemorative plaque on the wall of the Officers’ mess in Southwick House

There followed a visit to the Royal Military Police Museum, based on the same military establishment, that showed the development from the early days of the Provost Marshall to the Red Caps known today.

Military Police Museum shows the history of this unit to the present day.