In the Footsteps of Churchill: A Lecture by Prof. Richard Holmes
Wednesday, 17 September, 2008

Professor Richard Holmes, author and presenter of BBC programmes on military history, will be giving this year’s fundraising lecture in aid of Wiltshire Heritage Museum. In the Footsteps of Churchill will take place at Devizes Town Hall on Saturday 18 October at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £15 and are available from the Museum in Long Street, Devizes (or telephone 01380 727369).

Winston Churchill, voted the greatest Briton in a BBC poll in 2002, wasn’t just a war time leader. He was already a noted statesman and orator, an Army officer, historian, a Nobel prize-winning writer and an artist before becoming Prime Minister in 1940. He saw combat in India, the Sudan and the Second Boer War, gaining fame and notoriety both as a war correspondent and author of books describing the campaigns. He also served briefly on the Western Front in World War I, commanding the 6th Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. This lecture will tell us more about the character and extraordinary career of one of Britain’s greatest leaders. It is about the influences that shaped the man and how the qualities that made Churchill great also led him to commit catastrophic blunders.

Professor Richard Holmes is a well-known and respected author and presented War Walks and The Western Front for the BBC. He is currently Colonel of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, having joined the Territorial Army in 1965, and Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science.

Bill Perry, Chairman of the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, which owns and runs the Museum, says “we rely on our annual fundraising lecture as part of the annual costs of running the Museum. We are very fortunate to have Richard Holmes to give our annual fundraising lecture this year. Do come I can promise you an interesting talk and it will help the Museum too.”

End

Notes to Editors:

1. For further information about the lecture please contact Bill Perry, Chairman, on 01380 727369 or e-mail w.perry@wiltshireheritage.org.uk.

2. The Wiltshire Heritage Museum is ‘Designated’ by the Government as holding a nationally significant collection. The archaeological collection contains important Bronze Age finds; the core of the displays being items excavated in the early 19th century by the antiquarians Sir Richard Colt Hoare and William Cunnington. The Museum also has important collections from the Roman, Saxon, medieval and recent history periods, a natural history collection, an extensive art collection and Library; the last contains unique archaeological records and extensive information and source material on the history of Wiltshire.

3. The Museum and Library are mainly funded from private sources, although annual grants are received from Wiltshire County Council and Kennet District Council.

4. The Wiltshire Heritage Museum is owned by a registered charity, the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (WANHS).

5. Founded in 1853, WANHS has dedicated itself to preserving the rich archaeological and historical treasures and records of Wiltshire, including the World Heritage Site of Avebury and Stonehenge.

6. The objects of WANHS are ‘to educate the public by promoting, fostering interest in, exploration, research and publication on the archaeology, art, history and natural history of Wiltshire for the public benefit’. To achieve this WANHS, apart from maintaining the Museum, Library and Art Gallery, mounts exhibitions; publishes an annual magazine, newsletters, reports, periodicals, books and other literature relevant to its activities; provides lectures and visits on topics and places of interest and operates an archaeological field group which encourages members to become actively involved in the archaeology of the county. There is also an education programme for children encouraging an appreciation of the county and it’s history.

7. For further information about membership of WANHS, its Designated Collections, activities, publications and for Museum and Library opening times, please visit our website, www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk

Wiltshire Heritage Museum, 41 Long Street, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1NS
Tel: 01380 727369 e-mail: wanhs@wiltshireheritage.org.uk
www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk

Founded 1853. Registered Charity no. 1080096.
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