What's Happening this Autumn? Latest Friends' Talks and Trips

The AGM will be held between 6.30-7.30pm on the 7th of November, and then there will be a talk at 8pm.

I have updated the talks and trips listing, to save you clicking, they are as follows:
Talks:
26.9.14 Steve Marshall talking about 'Avebury Waterscape', springs, rivers & the Avebury monuments
7.11.14 at 8pm after the AGM, Dr Mike Pringle will be talking about 'Remembering WW1', with particular emphasis on the home front. What was happening at home when men went off to fight?
28.11.14 Bryn Walters talking about Roman Towns in Wiltshire

Trips
23.9.14 Marlborough College meeting at 10.30am outside the church at the Marlborough College end of the High Street.
Numbers are limited so please ring Paul Ricketts on 01672 539688 to secure a place.
The blog post on the 24th March gives an idea of what to expect.

20.10.14 Devizes Museum 2pm meet there's an hour's talk by David Dawson on arrival and then a look around the newly refurbished museum.

Also SM&AG have these 3 talks in October:

18.10.14 7.30pm Professor Smiles will talk about Turner in the West Country, there is a charge of £3.50 for Friends for this talk.

24.10.14 7pm Back to Nature- Landscape and Modern British art-this talk costs £4.50 and will be given by Sophie Cummings

31.10.14 7pm a Contemporary Arts Society talk, this is a discussion between Sophie Cummings and Marcus Quaife and is free of charge.

 You may also be interested in the fact that Mike Yates' book 'Ralph Bates: Swindon's 'unknown author' is now available in Pen and Paper, and so is Mike Pringle's book 'Swindon Remembering 1914-18.

They are both excellent.

The exhibition 'Swindon in the Great War' opens Wednesday 6th August

This exhibition  Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, Bath Road, is housed on the ground floor, to the right and left as you go in through the front door.

This important, interesting and moving exhibition has been created by Mike Pringle and Mark Sutton with the support of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, the Local Studies and Family History team, and members of Swindon’s heritage community. The exhibition has been made possible thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The launch will include a talk by Mike Pringle, author of ‘Swindon: Remembering 1914-18’

So we have another book launched this week, I haven't known people who launched books very often, and suddenly there are two in one week!

Here's the cover of Mike's book, also available in Pen and Paper.

Mike's book also looks great, it was launched last night at Christ Church, the first 75 people to buy the book will also receive some commemorative 'Pringle Chocolate' there was still some left last night.

The Launch of Mike Yates' Book on Ralph Bates this Saturday 9th August 12-3pm

You are cordially invited to a book launch and signing session at Pen & Paper for the book "Ralph Bates - Swindon's unknown author" by Mike Yates.

Mike will be here on Saturday 9th August 12-3pm and will be happy to sign books and discuss Ralph Bates' life and work.

Ralph Bates was a "better writer than Ernest Hemingway" according to Time Magazine and enjoyed a remarkable life starting in the railway factory before fighting in the Spanish civil war and becoming Professor of English Literature at New York University.

Mike has put a website together where you can read more about this fascinating Swindonian. 

www.theralphbatesproject.co.uk

This photograph of Ralph Bates has been used for the cover, there are some fascinating photographs inside, including one of the former technical college on Victoria Hill where Ralph went to school.