2025
The last talk of the year, Nigel Smales fascinating account of the ‘Willie & Ettie – The Souls of Taplow Court’.
For those who missed an excellent talk, here it is:
Peter Phippen’s – The Good Ol’ Days
Next event
21 January (Wed) Aerial Thrills and Spills at Northolt Airport – Colin Richards
This talk is a not-too-serious look at the history of RAF Northolt, which is Hillingdon’s “other” airfield. Established in 1915, RAF Northolt is the oldest continuously active RAF station.
It played an important role in the early days of British aviation. In WW1, Northolt was a hive of experimental and training activity, as the Royal Flying Corps tested new aircraft and techniques in the skies above northwest London. These formative days were filled with the dangers of early flight in flimsy machines, and the exhilarating and often perilous pace of innovation. It became a launchpad for both military and civil aviation developments, even briefly serving as one London’s civil airports in the 1920s before the rise of Croydon.
In WW2, it was home to several Polish fighter squadrons, notably No. 303 Squadron, whose skill and bravery played a pivotal part in the Battle of Britain. The base’s runways buzzed with activity, and its control towers witnessed both triumph and tragedy.
Post-war, until Heathrow was fully open, it was again a centre for civil aviation. There were aviation mishaps and near misses, but also quieter moments of service with transport flights, VIP movements, and military operations. Northolt even found fame on-screen, as a location for TV shows and films.
Today it is part military airbase, part commercial airfield. RAF Northolt remains an important part of the UK’s defence infrastructure. Though its military role is less visible, it supports operations for the Ministry of Defence, serves as a base for government and royal flights, and hosts intelligence and logistical units.
During the 1950s and early 1960s, Colin Richards lived in sight of the main flightpath into Northolt Airport. He retired after working for BT and Rank Xerox in a variety of computing roles and began giving talks on a range of topics including local history, art & design, and science.
Upcoming events
2026
21 January (Wed) Aerial Thrills and Spills at Northolt Airport – Colin Richards
7 February (Sat) The Archives and Hedgerley – Callum Walker
18 February (Wed) The Most Heroic Failure of Modern Times – Shackleton’s Antarctic – Jeremy Holmes
When Ernest Shackleton set off to cross the Antarctic for the first time in 1914, he was already a celebrated explorer, but his ship quickly got trapped and then crushed in the ice. He and his crew camped for months on the ice with only rudimentary supplies, until he decided to sail a lifeboat 750 miles to South Georgia – a feat never before attempted. Arriving exhausted they had to climb a mountain range before eventually finding a remote whaling station and ultimately returning to rescue their comrades. Shackleton’s leadership became the stuff of legend; this talk explains why.
Jeremy Holmes was a management consultant for most of his career, but latterly CEO of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and COO of Universities UK. About 25 years ago Jeremy was given a management book about Shackleton and his leadership skills which he found quite inspiring.
Jeremy is now retired and gives talks on a variety of subjects – for pleasure and to raise funds for a couple of charities of which he is a trustee (including the Quaker International Education Trust). Long, long ago Jeremy went from a grammar school to Oxford, where he won a scholarship and took a Double First in English Lit.
HHS 