Amesbury 7-9 September 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.