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Public Speaker in Buckinghamshire, Gordon Sole talks about Winston Churchill’s Toyshop
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Gordon Rogers

Location: Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire
About The Speaker...

Laughter is for me an essential ingredient of life and l like to think I find plenty in my talks, even those featuring war. I am a Chartered Surveyor and am proud to say that Sir Patrick Moore proposed me for membership of the Royal Astronomical Society. I have a state of the art observatory adjoining my home. My talks are listed at www.gordonrogers.co.uk

About Their Talks...

Talking to children about astronomy was so rewarding and I went on to addressing adults. Then I stumbled on the fact that the weapons I had nicked from a hut during the war were not simply stored there but were at the site of their invention. Rebuffed by the BBC I prepared my own presentation after extensive research.

Fee:

I do not charge for my talks but encourage donations to the charity I support “Scannappeal” supplying equipment to local hospitals.

My Contact Details:
Phone:

01844 208530

07495 387522

Email:

grogers@psa-online.com

View Talks by Gordon Rogers

Winston Churchill’s Toyshop

Public Speaker in Buckinghamshire, Gordon Sole talks about Winston Churchill’s Toyshop

Only 13 years ago did I learn that the premises from which, as a schoolboy, I nicked a couple of Blacker bombard anti-tank missiles and a box of L-delay fuzes was “Winston Churchill’s Toyshop”, the UK’s premier weapons experimental station in WW2. I wrote to the BBC suggesting they make a documentary: their response was: The BBC “does not accept ideas for programmes of a documentary or factual nature” so I decided to put together my own Powerpoint presentation. The title is
arrived at in that when becoming PM Churchill knew of the massive War Office red tape; to by-pass this he appointed himself Minister of Defence and created just one Department, MD1 located just north of Aylesbury. The department was to be under Churchill’s direct control via Lord Cherwell and over 50 weapons were invented which went into service. I have carried out extensive research at the Nuffield library in Oxford reading the papers passing between Churchill and Cherwell – fascinating stuff and the source of much information for my talk. James Tuck was a very important member of the team: he was a nuclear scientist who made a fundamental input into the allied war effort and yet the military seek to efface him from history. It is such an untold story and I did manage to persuade the Discovery Channel to make a TV documentary but they only scratched the surface of the topic.

The Sky at Night, with a Laugh

Public Speaker in Buckinghamshire, Gordon Sole talks about The Sky at Night, with a Laugh

As a keen amateur astronomer this talk covers astronomical topics of contemporary interest both amateur and professional. I have a passion for Deep Space imaging and have built a state of the art observatory adjoining my house: I explain how this operates. Sir Patrick Moore filmed a whole “Sky at Night” programme at my observatory and asked me to write a book about it in his astronomy series. It is published by Springer and entitled “My Heavens”. I am a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. It is a staggering topic and there is plenty of room for humour.

Military Moments circa WW2

Public Speaker in Buckinghamshire, Gordon Sole talks about Military Moments circa WW2

Such a broad canvas but I have put together a collection of events where the great majority is likely to be novel to the attendee: even if known about I may well introduce an unexpected slant. Chosen topics are across the spectrum of utter bravery, incredible nerve, espionage, humour, deception, endurance, stupidity, survival and the macabre.

Gordon Rogers Contact Details:
Phone:

01844 208530

07495 387522

Email:

grogers@psa-online.com

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