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
Militaria from the Gallipoli Campaign By Gary Traynor
While the ‘Gallipoli inventions’ are famous, less is known about their ‘back story’, the human context and living conditions that gave rise to them. Gary Traynor presents Militaria from the Gallipoli campaign.
Battlefields Under Threat By David Wilson
In this presentation, battlefield guide and historian David Wilson will examine a number of significant battlefields that are under threat by late 20th or 21st Century encroachments.
Australian War Brides by Ms. Eleanor Limprecht
Ms. Eleanor Limprecht will be sharing with us about the research which she did into Australian war brides who went to America during WWII in order to write her novel, The Passengers.
Transitioning the Post-War ADF for Combat Operations in the Modern Age By Peter Hayes
Before the RAAF has even taken possession of the latest addition to its arsenal of air weapons, the F35 - a 5th generation fighter - is being heralded as one of the most cyber tested weapon systems in the world.
Centennial WW1 Armistice Tribute, Gallipoli, Western Front and Palestine – Eye Witness Accounts by Dr Jonathan King
Centennial WW1 Armistice Tribute. Gallipoli, Western Front & Palestine - Eye Witness Accounts. The author's campaign to switch the commemorative spotlight from Gallipoli to important but less well-known battlefields.
Over Flight – The U2 Spy Plane Incident By Dennis Weatherall
The story of a very adventurous and heroic US Air Force Officer that was seconded to the CIA to overfly Soviet airspace at the height of the cold war.