Dave McCall writes fiction books under the pen name David Ebsworth. He tells stories from history that he wishes somebody else had already written but which seem to have been overlooked - until now! A Betrayal of Heroes takes us on a roller-coaster ride from 1939 to 1945 with the Spanish Republican heroes who fought for Free France. But its also the story of Jewish communities in Morocco and Algeria during those same years. Some of the author's favourite chapters are those set among the Jewish and Spanish communities in Casablanca, or those set in Pocklington, East Yorkshire, where the Spanish soldiers of La Nueve were quartered before being despatched to Normandy.
Earlier talks
Richard has spent 30 years in the auction business as an expert in the field of autographs and historical documents. His talk was filled with anecdotes of the items he handled and the people he met during that time - sometimes remarkable, sometimes astonishing, sometimes heartwarming and sometimes downright hilarious. He talked about a Dalek signed by every member of the Dr Who team, meeting 'Jesus Christ' and the Kray twins. Richard's entertaining talk left us enriched and enlightened.
Dr Penny's historical talk argued that a man named "Cuthbert the Bad" - often linked to the Gunpowder Plot and the 1601 Essex Rebellion - was the true, often overlooked villain behind the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials, rather than just the magistrate Roger Nowell. The Pendle Witch Trials are amongst the most well-documented in English history, resulting in the execution of ten people from the Pendle area. The trials involved two main families who were known as local 'cunning folk' or healers involved in folk magic. The Pendle witches were hanged at Gallows Hill in Lancaster.
Granted charitable status in December 2020, Nature's SAFE is one of Europe's first charitable living biobanks dedicated to storing tissues from animals threatened with extinction. Tullis Matson talked passionately and informatively about the threatened extinction of 42,100 species and how this wildlife conservation charity aims to safeguard our planet's wildlife for future generations . Tullis introduced us to the fascinating world of preserving genetic material through semen and embryos, and the freezing of tissues from endangered breeds. Tullis has worked in the equine industry since 1985 and established Stallion AI Services in 2000. Tullis's journey from leaving school without any qualifications to running a multi-million, award-winning group of companies is testament to his power of determination to dedicate himself to protect endangered species and thus make a difference to the planet.
"The definition of magic is defying logic". This is what Pete Turner told us in his electrifying and thoroughly intriguing talk entitled 'Through the Eyes of a Magician'. Pete's fascinating presentation was full of demonstrations, experiments and clever mind-games making us see things that aren't really there. We were baffled, bamboozled and thoroughly entertained during this humorous and light-hearted talk. Pete was rewarded with rapturous applause from a delighted audience.
Neil Hanson gave a spellbound audience a privileged glimpse into the hidden worlds of his ghost-writing clients, some famous and some not so famous. It was a fascinating talk, excellently presented and enjoyed by all.
Neil is a successful author with over 70 published books to his name. As well as his own much acclaimed works, he is a 'ghost-writer' whose clients include household names as well as many less celebrated men and women who have led extraordinary lives or achieved remarkable things. Among many others they include SAS men, fast-jet pilots, explorers and adventurers.
