16 January 2025 19:30
Paul Johnson - "Behind The Wire - The Life & Times of Captain John Blomfield Dixon - A Hertfordshire POW in WW2"
The Talk: The presentation tells the story of Captain John Blomfield Dixon, whose home was in the Hertfordshire town of Ware. Having joined the Territorial Army in 1938, he soon found himself hurried through officer training and, with the outbreak of the Second World War, being commissioned as a subaltern, attached to the East Riding Yeomanry. Following his death in 2013, his family were bequeathed a series of scrapbooks, folders, maps, photographs and documents, along with a small pile of well-worn booklets, revealing his voracious appetite in describing his training, life and death during the retreat to Dunkirk, his humiliating capture by the enemy at the culmination of the Battle of Cassel and the long arduous journey through a series of ‘Offizierslagers’, which would, ultimately, lead him to Oflag VIIB, which was located in the Bavarian town of Eichstätt. This is his story."
About the Speaker: Paul Johnson is a recognised military historian, researcher and author, who has published a number of books covering various aspects of both the First and Second World Wars. Currently the Lead Historian for the Herts at War project, he has studied many facets of both wars but prefers to focus on the human element, the personal stories. A battlefield tourist and occasional guide, Paul has worked as an historical consultant and contributor for both television, radio and projects of national remembrance.
Tickets: Entry is free, but we rely totally on donations to cover our costs! - Hall, speaker, drink etc. We suggest £5 per person - or whatever you can afford.
Booking: You do not need to book, but it would help us if you did (i.e. hall preparation and refreshments etc.).
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