LANCASTER
MILITARY HERITAGE GROUP
EVENTS
Congratulations to Brian who completed his epic cycle ride to raise funds for Combat Strees, in which to date he has raised £2,700. It’s still not too late to accept donations for Combat Stress if you know of anyone who might feel so inclined – email Brian at piperswood@btinternet.com.
The ride was originally planned for the VE75 and was eventually ridden from 9th -19th September in delightfully sunny conditions, one day excepted. The bicycle ridden was a 50 year old Phillips road bike!
Thanks are due to many people; Lee at Signs Express in Lancaster for signage, John Ferguson for his PR efforts, Dave Hodgson for his monitoring and the Legge and Maxey families for their hospitality. Most of all, Brian is exceptionally grateful to the many sponsors who have helped him to raise over £2700.
Update on Brian's cycle Round Cumbria as at 15th September 2020.
Brian, our Treasurer, is going well on his ride around Cumbria and is now at the half way point ( Silloth). Brian reports that the weather was tricky on day two passing over Kirkstone but the old wheels and older legs succeeded.
Today’s weather, and for the rest of the week, looks good. Brian expects to complete on Saturday 19th arriving at the Museum steps in Marketplace, Lancaster at mid-day. If anyone is able to greet me on arrival that would be great, but I do suggest wearing a mask in that location.
Over £2,000 has been raised and Brian thanks everyone for their generosity. If you are still to donate and need information do get in touch - .
Brian's Cycle Round Cumbria - September
10th - 19th 2020 - 220 miles - Supporting Our Veterans
The route will take the following:
from Lancaster
to Stavely via Kendal
to Penrith via Hardknott Pass
to Cumdivock via Carlisle
to Bowness
to Maryport via Allonby
to Seascale via Whitehaven
to Broughton
to Grange
to Halton via Lancaster
Veterans mental health is at risk - funds are low!
Combat Stress was founded in May 1919, just after the First World War ended as the Ex-Servicemen's Welfare Society. For a century, they have helped former servicemen and women deal with trauma-related mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They continue to support former servicemen and women from every service and every conflict, on the phone, online, in the community and at treatment centres across the UK. There remains an ongoing and urgent need to fund this exceptional charity. Please help!!
With the 75th Anniversary of VE-Day events being cancelled and support to this great charity 'Combat Stress' collapsing, I hope we can support our Veterans. My Cumbrian family served and lost a member in Bomber Command and I ride in their memory and for all Veterans who struggle with their service to our country.
If you are able to offer support to the project please get in touch. Assitance with overnight baggage transport, accommodation and breakdown help would all be gratefully accepted, as would company on sections of the ride.
For more information please email: or call: 0787610565. Download details of map and route: Route details. Be aware that the route may change due to unforeseen circumstances.
To sponsor Brian's ride please send a cheque made out to Combat Stress to:
LHMG Treasurer
Piperswood,
Halton
Lancaster LA2 6LP
Tuesday 13th October - AGM Westfield Village at 7pm - TBC
Thursday 23rd October - TBC Talk at Lancaster University
Annual Dinner - TBD
A reminder to all members that your annual subscription was due on the 1st April 2020
If you are interested in any of our events contact us and become a member.
PAST EVENTS
June 2017 - Armed Forces Day
Armed Forces Day was celebrated inside Lancaster Castle on June 24; in Morecambe on June 25. Aspects of the Armed Forces were depicted with a special feature this year, the centenary of the formation of the WRNS, and a spotlight also placed on the Cadet forces. The AFD raffle raised some £2,500 for the two Service Charities supported; Combat Stress & BLESMA.
May 2017 - AGM & Lecture
Our AGM was held in the Westfield War Memorial Village in Lancaster. After over 7 years as chairman Captain John Lean RN relinquished the post, and in his place Colonel Robin Jackson was elected.
Following the AGM Robin Ashcroft gave a lecture on Soldiers on Mount Everest, largely based upon his personal experiences. His talk which was greatly enjoyed included how breathing apparatus and other mountaineers' equipment has evolved over the years and made the interesting comment that an extra pound's weight of the boots was equivalent to an extra 5 lbs on the back.
April 2017 - Lecture
Professor Eric Grove gave us a lecture on the WW1 Unrestricted U-boat campaign which started in 1917. This was held in the University of Cumbria campus, Bowerham, in Lancaster and about 100 attended. He not only promised but also delivered a fresh look at the campaign and provided overwhelming evidence that the shortage of stocks of food in this country caused by the U-boats was not as severe as thought or indeed anything like German expectations - unlike during WW2.
January 2017 - Lecture
“British Forces on the Eastern Front – a footnote to World War One” was the subject of an intriguing talk by Professor Michael Hughes, head of history at Lancaster University.
Prof Hughes, a diplomatic historian, has studied Russia's great war and revolution and currently is working on a project asking whether the Eastern Front is forgotten.
He talked about Britain's attempt to keep Russia in the war and the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II as Emperor, both in 1917.
He picked out four Britons for their important contributions in the war:
· Sir George Buchanan, Ambassador to Russia
· Major General Sir John Hanbury-Williams, head of the military mission
· General Sir Alfred Knox, Military Attaché in Russia and
· Commander Oliver Locker-Lampson, naval officer and MP
Prof Hughes also covered the attempted military coup d'etat by General Lavr Kornilov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Army, against the Russian provincial government, headed by Alexander Kerensky, whose grandson Steve lives in Morecambe.
13 December 2016 - Carol Service in the Priory Church Lancaster.
A congregation of over 200 attended LMHG's annual carol service, held in the magnificent location of the Priory Church by kind permission of the Rev Chris Newlands. Cadets from all 3 Services attended and very much participated in the Service.
November 2016 - LAUNCH OF "GREAT WAR LANCASTER "
The public launch of this major WWI Commemoration project took place in Lancaster Library.
If you missed it, we invite you to experience this unique Lancaster University project, supported by Lancaster Military Heritage Group and made possible by the Heritage Lottery Fund by logging onto
Within that website the following are involved:
Lancaster War Memorials - records details of war memorials in the Lancaster District and provides details about the 2,700 plus men and women recorded;
Streets of Mourning - provides details of the over 1,000 "Men of Lancaster" killed in WWI. These can be investigated through a map-based interface that allows you to find details by street, by school, and by employer.
Lancaster in the Great War: Community Stories - takes stories and memories of Lancaster in WWI. It draws on a combination of the Lancaster War Memorials material and the research, memories and artefacts donated by the general public.
The Great War Trail - A self-guided walking tour of Lancaster in WWI that can be downloaded to your smart-phone or similar device.
Note Schools & Colleges can obtain assistance with use of this resource by emailing
This launch featured in the BBC North West news on 11 November. The report was very favourable.
November 2016 - LECTURE.
Hosted and staged by the History Department of Lancaster University as one of the series of joint lectures with LMHG commemorating the centenary of WWI, Professor Adrian Gregory of Oxford University gave a talk examining the linkages between the local and the global during the First World War. He considered in particular four medium size cities, Oxford, Halifax (Nova Scotia), Jerusalem and Verdun and looked at the ways that each of them embodied and illustrated different aspects of a genuinely global conflict.
October 2016 - LECTURE.
Chris Robson entertained us with a highly informative lecture on The Border Rievers and Anglo-Scottish warfare. We were reminded that living where we do was not so safe some centuries ago.
June/ July 2016
Linked to Armed Forces Day three performances related to WWI were laid on:
A film on Life on the Home Front in the North West.
A monologue "Searching for Malcolm", which proved to be very moving.
The Imperial War Museum film "Battle of the Somme" which was screened at the Duke's Theatre and preceded by a talk from Peter Donnelly.
ARMED FORCES DAY 25/26 JUNE 2016
LMHG arranged the 2016 commemoration of Armed Forces Day in Lancaster Castle, and assisted with the commemoration the following day in Morecambe.
See the News / Newsletters/ NL 63 tab above for details and photographs.
May 2016 - AGM & LECTURE
Following the AGM which was held in the Westfield War Memorial Village, Commander Nick Soul RN gave us a talk on the Joint Helicopter Command, thus updating us on the inter-service co-operation which now exists over helicopter operations. He spoke and showed photographs of his own flying operations in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
March 2016 - ANNUAL DINNER
Dr Julian Lewis MP PC, chairman of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, was our guest of honour at our dinner in the Lancaster Golf Club. As to be expected he spoke brilliantly and his every word was listened to.
Note: It is hoped that the above list demonstrates the breadth of our events and may encourage readers to join us as members.
Remembrance Sunday 8 November 2015
Despite a really wet morning the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Lancaster was very well attended. The first wreath was laid by the Mayor. Thereafter a large number of wreaths were laid by representatives of a great variety of organisations.
Umbrellas up, the ceremony proceeds
