Presentations
My presentations highlight local themes and include personal testimony, anecdotes and stories. Use is made of archeology, contemporary and modern images, maps, photographs, artefacts and memoirs. EACH PRESENTATION IS AVAILABLE VIA ZOOM!
The cost of each presentation is £85, travel expenses included within 50 miles of Buckingham.
I provide biographical information, a relevent image and details about each presentation.
Above all, I look to make the presentations enjoyable and interesting, taking into account the prior knowledge of the audience to whom I'm talking!
British Civil War Presentations
'Warrior Women of the English Civil War, 1642-51'
‘The Battle of Cropredy Bridge and the Oxford Campaign 1644'
'Soldiers, Saints and Sinners: Oxfordshire Characters from the British Civil War 1642-6’
‘The City of Oxford during the Civil War 1642-46’
'The Battle of Edgehill 1642'
'The Battle of Naseby 1645'
'Buckinghamshire in the Civil War 1642-6'
'The British Civil Wars in Art - 1642-51'
First World War Presentations
The Oxf & Bucks LI on the Somme 1916'
'Oxfordshire on the Home Front 1914-18'
‘Armistice 1918 and After: Some Local Perspectives’
'Nobody's Heroes: 8th East Lancs at War 1914-18'
'Banbury Munitions Factory during the Great War'
'Women in the First World War'
India related presentations
'Five RAF Indian Pilots of the Great War'
'Hardit Singh Malik - The Flying Sikh'
'The Indian Army during the First World War: An Oxf & Bucks LI Perspective’
'Watershed: Mahatma Gandhi and the First World War'
'Indians at Victorian Oxford'
Second World War Presentations
'Oxfordshire in the Second World War'
New presentations:
'Indians at Victorian Oxford'
The first Indian students to attend the University of Oxford arrived in 1871, and the bridge between Oxford and India has grown stronger ever since. But why did Indian students begin to attend British universities from the middle of the 19th century?
This presentation examines the close relationship between Britain and the Subcontinent, aiming to explain briefly the background in Indian politics, the views of families and the students themselves. It also looks at the Oxford Indian Institute, the growth of Balliol College and those dons at the heart of the developments.
The talk focuses on the stories of four students who attended Oxford before the First World War: the first woman to study Law at the university; a Sikh princess, a nationalist revolutionary and a Bengali poet. The talk lasts for 50 minutes and is fully illustrated.
‘Watershed: Mahatma Gandhi and the First World War’
In 1914, Mahatma Gandhi considered himself to be a patriotic British Subject, one who would form the Indian Volunteer Ambulance Corps that year in support of those fighting on the Western Front. As late as the summer of 1918, Gandhi supported the largest recruitment of Indian soldiers of the war, to fight on behalf of the Empire.
Yet by the summer of the following year, he had become an implacable foe of the Raj, aiming to undermine its endeavours at every turn. Why was that? This talk looks not only to understand Gandhi’s transformation, but also make sense of India’s role in the Great War and its legacy. Fully illustrated and lasting about 50 minutes. Suitable for a general audience.
'Women in the First World War' (Available from September 2025)
Women played many roles in the First World War, including in the military, on the home front, and in factories. This talk aims to highlight these well-trodden paths, but also some lesser-known themes.
As well as increased financial independence, women also enjoyed a greater social freedom. For the first time, young single women could openly visit pubs, cinemas, and other public places unaccompanied by men. Not all of these freedoms were welcomed by all however, societal concerns about ‘morality’ often resulting.
The talk also highlights the impact of the war on women’s health and well-being, relationships and child rearing. It looks also at the challenges faced by housewives on the Home Front, charitable giving and what happened when the Armistice had been signed. Fully illustrated, and with film clips.