On a glorious Spring day in June 2024, Jonathan was fortunate to be asked to speak at Chichester Cathedral together with Michael and Richard Ashby, sons of the the WWII glider pilot, Robert Ashby. In the Vicars Hall, Jonathan recounted…
Brab Hallowes, a grandson of the famous Odette Hallowes contacted Jonathan to ask him to speak at Otter Vale Probus Club in May 2024. Jonathan addressed the retired professional's club with tales of heroism and daring operations carried out by…
On a wintery November weekend, large crowds attended the atmospheric Clifton Literary Festival, held amongst the Georgian buildings in Clifton village in Bristol. It was a broad programme of history, politics, lifestyle and the arts, showcasing a number of established…
In November 2023, the Green Jackets invited Jonathan to talk on one of his books Churchill's Third World War. The Story of Operation Unthinkable. The enjoyable evening in Winchester was supported by Friends of the museum together with a number…
In February 2023 The Army Flying Museum at Middle Wallop, invited Jonathan to talk on his latest book in which he edited the memoirs of Sergeant Robert Ashby of the Glider Pilot Regiment during WWII. Robert's son Michael Ashby gave…
In December 2022 Jonathan talked to East Exe Probus Club about the life and times of Sue Ryder, creator of the famous Sue Ryder Charity and her lesser known exploits during WWII. She later married Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, a…
The Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, Poland, is a new and cutting-edge institution. It is devoted to all aspects of Poland's experience during the years 1939-1945 and hosts international conferences as well as the publication of a…
image credits: Jamie Wilson, HAC June 2022 Montreuil-sur-mer: A splendid, long-awaited ceremony took place on 18 June in the pretty Normandy market town of Montreuil-Sur-Mer, to mark the unveiling of the newly refurbished statue of Field Marshal Earl Haig. The…
The 1943 invasion of Sicily laid the foundations for the invasion of the Italian mainland and accelerated the collapse of the Mussolini government. In May Jonathan visited Sicily and saw some of the sites of the WWII operations in the…
In April Jonathan gave an illustrated talk in aid of Salcombe Regis Church. The 125-strong audience heard the stirring story of glider pilots in the Second World War, based on the adventures of Robert Ashby, whose memoir Jonathan is editing.…