8 Mar 2024Nine from One: The true story of 9 RAF pilots from 1 family in 106 years – With Anthony Inglis

Date: 8 Mar 2024 - 8 Mar 2024
Location: Bentley Priory Museum

Join us for our Friday morning talk, where renowned Music Director Anthony Inglis Howard-Williams ARCM will talk about his family’s incredible RAF service.

This presentation, given by an ambassador for the Royal Air Forces Association, is the story of his own family sending nine members to war. Incredibly, all survived. All except one served in the 2nd World War, and two were in the RFC/RNAS. They number an Air Marshal who came up with the idea of the Dunkirk little ships and was CAS for the RNZAF, to a Flight Lieutenant in 18 Sqn currently flying Chinooks out of Odiham. There was also an Air Commodore who was number 2 to Dowding at Bentley Priory when Keith Park was absent, later becoming executive chairman of RAFA, founding Airmail. A Battle of Britain pilot with Douglas Bader in 19 Sqn at Duxford from the start. An Air-Vice Marshal who after Pearl Harbour persuaded Roosevelt against the advice of his own service chiefs, that Churchill’s request for the “Germany First” policy was agreed, ensuring the success of the Arcadia Conference. A Flt Lt who joined the RAF at the age of 66. A Group Captain who is credited with the joint highest number of pathfinder operations in WW2 and a Sqn Ldr who flew a ME410 in 1944 out of Farnborough.

About the speaker:

For 25 years, he was Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra and for 33 years from 1987 until 2020, Music Director/Supervisor/Consultant of Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Since 2017 he has been Music Director of the London Concert Orchestra and since 2004 Music Director for the Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins. He is equally at home in the world of opera.

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.