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Amesbury 7-9 September 2018
September 7 - 9, 2018
A ‘traditional’ Guild weekend with a quiz, a wide variety of topics/sites and plenty of opportunity to socialise. Travel during the event will be self-drive. Some walking on rough tracks is involved, with one lung-busting hill well known to anyone who served at Bulford. A number of themes/subjects will be outlined for possible development into UK tours or preliminary to continental tours by Gareth Davies, Andy Johnson and Paul Oldfield.
Friday 7 September
Settle into accommodation (details to follow), assemble for drinks, dinner in a local pub/restaurant, followed by quiz (Ian Mitchell).
Saturday 8 September
360 degree view from Beacon Hill of sites of military importance including:
- Start of Ordnance Survey.
- Expansion of the military on Salisbury Plain.
- Military railways.
- Bulford Kiwi.
- WW1 trench system on Bulford Ridge. Porton Down – chemical and biological warfare.
- Airfields – Thruxton, Boscombe Down, Larkhill, Netheravon and others.
- Armoured warfare development in 1930s.
- Battle of the Beams in WW2.
- Development of airborne forces.
- Bruneval Raid training.
- Glider pilot training for Operation Deadstick.
Snack lunch in Amesbury followed by:
- Expansion of camps and military railways in WW1.
- Formation of RFC, airfields, military aircraft trials, lots of ‘firsts’, deployment of RFC to France August 1914, famous names.
Dinner in a local restaurant/hotel.
Sunday 9 September
Morning tour of sites involved in the invasion of Normandy, including:
- Ashley Walk bombing range and Stoney Cross airfield in the New Forest.
- Lepe Country Park – PLUTO, MULBERRY, loading hard and jetty.
- Portsdown – C2, HQs, COPPs, landing rehearsals, key meetings and decisions, convoy routing etc.
If you wish to attend please contact Paul Oldfield – oldfield118@btinternet.com.