Find out about our forthcoming events here. Meetings are normally held at the Royal Maritime Hotel, Queen Street, Portsmouth, PO1 3HS, at 2.00 PM on the second Saturday of the month (January to May and October to December). Lunch is available in the bar from 12.30.

Additionally, the society organises day trips and a multi-day excursion during the summer break.

Date Event
11 April (Doreen Hobbs Memorial) Brian Lavery: The View from the Gunroom – Midshipmen’s Journals in Two World Wars and Dr Alan James: The French Civil Wars at Sea: Civic Rebellion and Naval Warfare during the Fronde, 1644-1659
9 May Paul Chamberlain: Villeneuve: The Inconvenient Admiral and Richard Blake: The impact of Admiral Lord Barham
20-21 May Overnight trip to Chatham in association with the Society of Model Shipwrights
13 June Mark Barton: Fanning the Coals and Forging the Weapons: A History of the Engineering Branch of the Royal Navy since its establishment in 1837 and Douglas Denny: HTP Submarines
9 July ‘Social Lunch’ – we get together for a meal and a chat
20 August Portsmouth Royal Dockyard Historical Trust tour
September Day trip TBC
10 October David Verghese: X-Craft midget submarines and Nick Hawkins: The German Navies 1945 -1956
14 November AGM and Richard Blake: Sugar, slavery, sacrifice – and oblivion: the Royal Navy and the Slave Trade
12 December Mary Montagu-Scott: HMS Agamemnon – Navigating the Legend and David Verghese: “Marmalade & Bishop” – the Royal Naval victorious Op. of 25 August 1941
9 January 2027 Dr Patricia Shamai: Cyber security and drones and John Bingeman: Pre-history in Langstone Harbour
13 February Mike Cooper: Charles Causley; Poet and navy man and David Verghese: HMS Glory (Causley’s ship) – her notable commissions in the Far East 1945-53
13 March David Verghese: “The Cruiser HMS Exeter – a tale of triumph, tribulation, treasure and tragedy” 1927 onwards. Second speaker TBA.

Time permitting, the main event is followed by a short talk by one of our members on a subject close to their heart. We have a number of fascinating snippets lined up for the coming months. Alternatively, if there is a topic you would like explored, why not put it on the agenda?

See the News page on this site for a record of recent meetings.