July 2024 Tuesday 9th July 2024 brought our Branch AGM hosted by our current Chairman John Luxton. The current Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer were all elected to stand for another season as was existing committee member Stan McFerran. Geoff Holmes has had to retire this year from the committee and we thank him for his past service After the …
Haven Ports June 2024
June 2024 We met for the second time at our new venue of Felixstowe Museum, our allocated room is cosy and informal. Derek Sands presented a show based on a dock cruise of Antwerp from May 2006. This was appreciated by a small audience. Our next meeting will be in August and will be an informal gathering at “The Shipwreck”, Shotley …
Merseyside Branch June 2024
June 2024 Our own Branch Chairman John Luxton gave us an excellent presentation for our June 2024 meeting. It was another of John’s Maritime Infrastructures talks, this time it was entitled Ports of Cornwall Part 1. He began by talking about Looe which has been featured on the television lately doubling up as Shipton Abbott in the Beyond Paradise programme. …
Torbay – June 2024
In June we enjoyed a selection of photos presented by Tom Walker showing views of ships in Teignmouth taken by his father Gordon Walker in the 1950s. Tom has researched the histories of the ships extensively, and talked about how the work of the port weaved into the life of the town. A very entertaining talk, with annecdotes and excellent …
Isle Of Wight – June 2024
June 2024 The Branch welcomed Glyn Evans for its meeting on 27 June to give us his presentation on ‘The maritime art of Kenneth Shoesmith.’ A highly illustrated talk which the speaker had trawled from many sources. We learned that Shoesmith had started his sea-going career as a cadet at HMS Conway before joining Royal Mail Lines as a deck …
Bedford Branch May 2024
May 2024 Michael Galley gave an insight into the world of international shipbreaking at his presentation for the May meeting. Staring with an overview of the history world shipbreaking then concentration on the main sites currently breaking up ships. In India and Pakistan ships are run ashore on gently sloping sand tidal beaches at high tide so that they can …
Merseyside Branch May 2024
May 2024 It is with great regret we have to announce the passing of branch member Christy MacHale aged 75. Christy was a great friend to us all, a man of very many talents; our condolences go to his wife Sam and all his family. Our May 2024 meeting was a great night when David Hearn from Wallasey came to …
Haven Ports April 2024
April 2024 The branch is operating on basically a bi-Monthly program for 2024. Our February meeting was via Zoom due to the usual worries about unreliable weather.Steve Thomas showed images from Gibraltar taken in 2023. He presented a well researched showwhich prompted comments and discussion for most images. We were joined by branch memberTony Millat from Mersea who cannot get …
Bedford Branch April 2024
April 2024 The April meeting evening was devoted to members DVD’s. We started with the Snowbow DVD Ships to Manchester. This port was once the nation’s fourth biggest port and in its heyday would have been full of ships. This was made possible by the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal which was completed in 1894 to enable ships from …
Isle of Wight – April 2024
The Branch held its AGM on 25 April last. At this the following Committe members were re-elected: Branch Chairman-Nick Hawkins. Branch Secretary-Richard ‘Dick’ de Kerbrech. Branch Treasurer-Ken Lowe. Visits & Social Sec- Vacant Newsletter Editor-John Cheverton. The AGM business was followed by Past Chairman, Chris Bancroft, showing some of the slides and photos taken be the late Phil Fricker. Chris …