22 Mar 2024Forgotten Air VC’s of The Great War – With Jim Nicolson

Date: 22 Mar 2024 - 22 Mar 2024
Location: Bentley Priory Museum

Join us for our Friday morning talk, where Jim Nicolson will talk us through the stories of four of the lesser known flying Victoria Cross recipients during The Great War.

628 Victoria Crosses were awarded during the great war, but only nineteen went to airmen. Of these nineteen awards, four were posthumous and all but one was awarded to officers.

They came from a wide range of backgrounds; some very wealthy some not, but in the words of one senior air force officer they all had in one thing in common, which was that they each had “the guts of a lion.”

Some of these men are still quite well known by people with even a passing interest in the great war, men like Leefe-Robinson, Billy Bishop, and Albert Ball. As for the others, despite their amazing stories, they have almost completely slipped from people’s memory. So in this talk, Jim Nicolson will focus on just four of them, including William Barker, described as “the heroes’ hero” and the most decorated serviceman in Canadian military history.

About the speaker:

Jim served for thirty years as a police officer; working for most of that time in Soho and London’s East End, before moving to Hertfordshire from where he retired in 2002, as the Assistant Chief Constable. He has been a keen student of military history for many years, particularly focusing on aviation and the Great War.

Jim is the Nephew of James Brindley Eric Nicolson, VC, DFC, the only Fighter Command recipient of the VC and the only one won during the Battle of Britain. Jim will be returning to talk about his Uncle later this year, last given at Bentley Priory Museum in 2019.

This talk will take place onsite in the Museum’s Learning Centre and is included in Museum admission or Annual Membership.

Advance booking required – please reserve your seat here.