Manchester Military History Society

SMATS is a reincarnation of the Manchester Tactical Society founded by Spenser Wilkinson in the 1880s while a journalist with the Manchester Guardian. He went on to become the first Chichele Professor of Military History at Oxford.

Reconstituted more recently by the late Paddy Griffith, author of World War II Desert Tactics’ (2008) amongst many others.

We now meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7.30pm upstairs at the Didsbury Pub, Didsbury, South Manchester.

We are an informal group united by a common interest in military history. All are welcome and admission is free. All we ask is that you buy a drink or maybe some food at the bar downstairs to keep the landlord happy.

Each month we have a speaker on a military related subject followed by a discussion around that subject or related topics. Our next lecture/discussion is The Fall of Singapore 1942 on 8th November 2010

Previous meetings have included a wide range of topics, see our web site for more details.

 

A bit far for me personally, but I'm sure some other British rogues will be interested.

 

SMATS South Manchester Tactical Society Our Next Lectures/Discussions:

The sloop that never sailed:

HMS Diamond Rock 1804 - 5
Tuesday 13th September 2011 7.30pm.

Speaker John Ellis - Author of "Eye Deep in Hell - Trench Warfare in World War 1"

Come along on the night and hear the extraordinary story of how a rocky outcrop off the coast of Martinique was commissioned into the Royal Navy as the sloop HMS Diamond Rock.


The Souliotes
Tuesday 11th October 2011 7.30pm.

Speaker: Paul Beckmann

In the extremely mountainous north-east of present day Greece not far from the regional capital city of Ioannina lies an area of high plateau surrounded by high mountains and accessed through high passes. In such barren and inhospitable surroundings, the inhabitants of Souli turned to the one possible way of eaking out a living, - banditry. They persistently raided nearby Albanian and Greek villages and roads far across northern Greece. The Souliotes became a powerful force in the area and after the destruction of their homeland, a powerful force in the wars which ended in the foundation of the Kingdom of Greece in 1832.


Click on the link to the right for more information, our location and how to subscribe to our mailing list. SMATS South Manchester Tactical Society

 

Next lecture is:

Anders Army - The Polish 2nd Corps

14th February 2012 at 7.30pm

Speaker: Frank Pleszak

The tragic story of the short lived 2nd Polish Army Corps, born in Russia's frozen steppes from the emaciated remnants of a Polish nation exiled to Stalin's brutal hard labour camps of Siberia, who against all odds developed into and elite fighting force in a hopeless struggle to liberate a homeland that would never be free.


More info at SMATS South Manchester Tactical Society

 

The First Battle of World War 2 Westerplatte 1939​

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Tuesday 8th January 2013 at 7.30pm


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On September 1, 1939, at 0448 local time, the battleship veteran of Jutland, The Schleswig-Holstein, suddenly opened broadside salvo fire on the Polish garrison of Westerplatte held by 182 soldiers and 27 civilian reservists. World War 2 had begun.

Ian Sanders tells the story of this epic of Polish military history, detailing the surprise attack and desperate defence against massive odds of the beleaguered Polish garrison.

Click here to see our previous meetings.

To stay informed about upcoming meetings join our mailing ​

list on this link below or follow us on twitter @smatsuk

 

Looks good, Ian. Wish I could make it.

 

2013 Manchester Military History Lecture Programme Announced

Highlights include Westerplatte 1939, Personal Memoirs of Dunkirk 1940 & Anzio 1944, and Visiting the Normandy Battlefields.

More information and full programme on this link

2nd Tuesday each month @ 7.30pm (apart from August)

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South Manchester Tactical Society

East Manchester History and Gaming Centre,
Knivton Street, Godley​

Hyde, Cheshire​

SK14 2PU

 

The Manchester Military History Society is now on facebook, so please "like" us and subscribe to our updates. Click here to access our facebook page.

We're also on twitter here