Online Talk: The Wreck Hunter: Battle of Britain & the Blitz

Join us on Zoom for a new Online Talk and discover the world of Battle of Britain archaeology!

As a boy living near RAF Fighter Command’s famous Biggin Hill airfield in 1940 Terry Parsons had a death-defying encounter with a hail of bullets from a low flying Dornier 17. It was this haunting experience that led him as a young man in the 1960s to begin a lifetime’s search for forgotten Spitfires, Hurricanes, Defiants, Beaufighters, Me109s, Dorniers and Heinkels which had fallen from the skies.

Now regarded as a pioneer in the field of aviation archaeology Terry has dug more than 900 RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft from the countryside and back gardens of southern England.

This illustrated talk about his inspiring and dedicated work in honour of ‘The Few’ and ‘The Many’ is presented by Melody Foreman MCIJ – author of ‘The Wreck Hunter’ – Terry’s compelling and heart-felt story of discovery and revelation.

The audience will learn how artefacts recovered from crash sites are major historical and significant reminders of an airborne conflict easily on a scale of importance as Trafalgar or Waterloo. For example we find out how a bent machine gun from the wreck of Oblt Lt Ulrich Steinhilper’s Me109, a piece of shattered perspex from Pilot Officer George Corbett’s Spitfire, or even a shoe once belonging to Polish fighter ace Marian Pisarek found in a crumpled Hurricane cockpit, all offer us striking evidence of the personal and most significant stories of the aircrews of 1940.

Loaded with social history, compelling stories, and full of rare and exclusive interviews with the families of the pilots, the talk will also include tales of the heartening times when several members of ‘The Few’ joined Terry on a dig to help find the Spitfire or Hurricane they had perilously baled out of during the heat of the Battle. Among them were the awesome and much missed Squadron Leader Tony Pickering and Group Captain Tom Gleave CBE – archivist of the Battle of Britain Memorial and founding member of The Guinea Pig Club.

By Melody Foreman

Joining the Talk

The talk will be held online on Zoom at 11am on Friday 25th June. Limited places are available.

Non-Annual Member Tickets: £4
Annual Member Tickets: Free

Book your ticket online here. One ticket per Zoom screen is required.

The Zoom joining details (ID & password) will be emailed to you shortly before the start of the talk. Please log on at 10.50am, ready for a prompt start at 11am.

During the talk, you will see and hear the speaker, but you will not be heard or seen on screen yourself. There will be the opportunity to ask questions via the Q&A function.

Please note: Please ensure you have a good internet connection and bandwidth before joining the talk. Bentley Priory Museum does not accept responsibility for user-end connectivity issues (such as loss of internet or sound/video distortion).

About Annual Membership

Annual members benefit from free access to our Online Talks and onsite Friday Morning Talks programmes, as well as unlimited access to the Museum galleries, gardens and cafe on standard open days and school holiday family activities. Annual memberships affected by the temporary closure of the Museum due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be extended once the Museum reopens.

Buy Annual Membership online here.

Support Bentley Priory Museum

As an independent charity, the past year of lockdown closure has had a huge impact on Bentley Priory Museum and we rely on your support to continue to safeguard and share the incredibly important story of Bentley Priory and the Battle of Britain.

If you enjoy this talk and would like to support the Museum with a donation, any amount great or small is hugely appreciated!

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