After a very short business meeting Sarah welcomed three long retired members of the SAS. There followed an excellent presentation and talk on the history of the regiment, its operations as far back as WW2 in North Africa, then during the Malayan Emergency, the Dhofar/Oman war, Aden, Mogadishu, the Iranian Embassy siege, Falklands War, and Northern Ireland. No-one could fail to be impressed by the those involved in these actions, all of whom accept terrifying situations as a way of life. Our speakers were unassuming and seemed unaware that they had lived a rather exceptional life. Nonetheless perhaps they still missed the excitement. After such an extraordinary life it seemed just a little strange to see them enjoying our bring and share supper, totally at ease and in no hurry to dash away.
After our business meeting there followed an interesting talk on the history of the RNLI by Patrick Edwards. Patrick has served in an educational capacity for the organisation for many years and was very informative, taking us back to the days of Grace Darling. He showed videos of various rescues. To say these were alarming is an understatement and left some of us feeling decidedly seasick. Those that volunteer for this service deserve the respect and support of us all.
Sarah thanked Patrick for a very informative talk. Members quickly recovered from any seasickness and were able to enjoy the usual bring and share supper with a chance to catch up on news. |
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