Lecture Double Feature
FIRST LECTURE by Virginia Handel starting 10:30AM: Three George Cross Heroines of the WW2 Special Operations Executive
The secret organisation the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was formed by the British Government in 1940 to “coordinate, inspire, control and assist the nationals of the oppressed countries who must themselves be the direct participants”.
Thirty-nine women of the SOE did extraordinary things in the course of duty. Three of these women were awarded the highest civilian gallantry honour, the George Cross. They each displayed extreme courage and sacrifice in non-combatant roles as couriers and wireless operators in enemy occupied France: their names were Violette Szabó, Odette Hallowes and Noor Inayat Khan.
This talk will present the history of the George Cross and the stories of these extraordinary women.
SECOND LECTURE by Major Paul Handel RFD (retd) starting 11:20AM: The AustralianCruiser Tank – Sentinel
During WW2 the Australian Army was unable to obtain armoured vehicles from the United Kingdom because of losses sustained in France. Factories were engaged at capacity in producing vehicles for the British Army. Australia had already started to build light armoured vehicles, but tanks had never been manufactured here.
The design and manufacture of the Sentinel Tank was thus a great industrial feat; the only time Australia has produced a tank.
This presentation will look at the design, manufacture and service use of the Sentinel Tank.
Lecture Time & Venue
Saturday, 1 August 2026, 10:30AM-12:30PM, Auditorium, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, corner Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, Sydney CBD. Admission is free of charge but a donation would be appreciated. For further information call 0419 698 783 or email: president@militaryhistorynsw.com.au.
Our Venue – Anzac Memorial Hyde Park
The current venue for The Military History Society of New South Wales lecture program will be the Auditorium at the Anzac Memorial Hyde Park, corner of Elizabeth and Liverpool Streets, Sydney CBD. Numerous bus services stop at the location and Museum railway station is only 160 metres away. The venue will be opening its doors at around 10:00AM.
Our Recent Lectures
WARSAW UPRISING 1944: A conversation with Les Gade
WARSAW UPRISING 1944: A conversation with Les Gade on his role as a Polish youth in the revolt against German occupation
Konfrontasi Digger 1962-66 by Col (retd) Bob Guest.
Between 1962 and 1966, Indonesia under the aggressive leadership of Sukarno ‘confronted’ the new state of Malaysia, labelling it a cloak for British imperial interests in south-east Asia.
CRIMEA 1855: How Britain built a railway to besiege Sevastopol By Colin Kay
The Military History Society of New South Wales Incorporated presents LOCOMOTIVE OF WAR: CRIMEA 1855. How Britain built a railway to besiege Sevastopol, by Colin Kay.
Myths of the Somme By Major John Hitchen
The Somme campaign between July and November 1916 is widely regarded as one of the greatest tragedies in British and Imperial military history.
SIEGE TOBRUK A Royal Navy Captain’s Story By Peter Poland
Captain Albert Poland of the Royal Navy recorded his Second World War service in daily notebooks including the eight-month Siege of Tobruk by Rommel’s Afrika Korps, from April to November 1941.
Hurricanes to Russia By Denis Smith
Denis Smith's talk tells the largely unknown story of HMS Argus, the aircraft carrier which transported 24 RAF Hurricane fighter planes to Russia in 1941.