We have a full schedule of speakers ready to talk on the Lecture Stage at TANKFEST 2023. This year we will be welcoming veterans, serving personnel, historians and more! See the full TANKFEST Speakers schedule here.
Kate Adie – Former BBC War Correspondent
Former BBC War Correspondent, Kate Adie will be talking about her personal experiences, as a civilian encountering tanks in action, in Berlin in the 1960s, the Gulf War, Bosnia and China.
Major General Patrick Cordingley – Gulf War Brigade Commander
Cordingley, who commanded the Desert Rats during the Gulf War and became commander of the 2nd Division in 1995, will be discussing the Challenger 1 and his part in bringing it into service in the 1980s.
John Delaney – Imperial War Museum
John Delaney is now in his thirtieth year at the Imperial War Museum. In this talk he will examine the years before the Second World War when the strategy that became known as Blitzkrieg was being formulated across Europe.
Models for Heroes
Using model making to maintain positive mental health of our serving members of the armed forces and veterans. Volunteers from Models for Heroes talk about how the organisation started, their mission and the underrated benefits of having a hobby.
Stephen Pope – Military Historian and Author
Stephen Pope will be talking about the very first tank attack and his work on “The Tanks at Flers – 15 Sep 1916”, the new edition of Trevor Pidgeon’s guide for the first tank actions on the Somme.
Dan Siskind – Owner of Brickmania Toys
Dan Siskind will showcase the unique industry of custom military LEGO® creations as well as custom created builds of iconic military vehicles currently housed at The Tank Museum.
Dick Taylor – Royal Armoured Corps Historian
Dick Taylor will be back to compere on all three days. He will also hold talks of his own across the weekend including, how food was used as a weapon during WWII, living through The Blitz 1940 – 1945, and how the British cavalry was amalgamated and then mechanised between the two world wars.
WO1 (SMI) Matt Vernon SASC
Matt joined the Army as a member of the Kings Own Border Regt in 2003, before transferring to the Small Arms School Corps (SASC) in 2011. He is now in the role of Army Training Regt (Pirbright) SMI. Matt will look at the evolution of the Infantry Anti-Tank weapon from Flers-Courcelette to Bakhmut.
Stuart Wheeler – Tank Museum Historian
Historian Stuart Wheeler will deliver three talks, one on each day of TANKFEST. Stuart will explore the history of The Tank Museum, the history of Bovington Camp and the history of the Gunnery School at Lulworth.
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Whitchurch MBE – Institute of Royal Engineers
Matthew’s service of 37 years saw him take part in eight wars, of which armour was used in all. He ended his regular service in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Engineers and now serves as a Regular Reservist. Across the weekend he will be exploring the subjects of Tank Mobility and The Tank in Urban Battle.
