Glimpses of war

A South Oxfordshire history group, which is passionate about preserving history and supporting our blind veterans, is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2024.

The British Modern Military History Society (BMMHS) was formed after a chance meeting between brothers Jerry and Andy and fellow history enthusiasts Nigel and Linda. They have come a long way since their first meeting as a group of 25 crammed into one of their living rooms.

Based in Oxfordshire, the group started by arranging talks from academics, historians, and broadcasters which quickly grew in popularity.

The Covid pandemic of 2020 could have spelled disaster for the group but instead they moved to holding their meetings online. They also decided to spend their time at home putting together a book which would preserve history for the next generation. They encouraged supporters to look in drawers and send in articles of their time in the military, or their families time serving.

In April 2021, ‘Glimpses of War: Volume 1’ was released. The book is a collection of stories from across the globe with accounts from the Boer War, the two world wars, and more recent conflicts in the Falklands and Afghanistan.

The society made the decision to donate 50% of the proceeds from this book and the subsequent books in their series to Blind Veterans UK.

Due to the volume of material that was gathered, the group felt compelled to release the sequel, ‘Glimpses of War: Volume 2’ in the Autumn of 2021.

The books recount tales of heroism, tragedy, hardship and resilience of those in the military but also civilians during wartime.

To commemorate the service of Falklands veterans and to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict, the group published their third book in June 2022, ‘Glimpses of the Falklands War’.

Our veterans featured

Within the three books, the stories of a number of veterans who are supported by our charity have been captured. Simon Brown, recounts his life and experiences of incidents that led to him losing his sight near Basra during the Iraq War in 2006 and Terry Bullingham who tells of his experience in the Falklands, the day he lost his sight and how we have helped rebuild his life are two of those featured.

Celebrating their fifth anniversary

Five years on from humble beginnings, the BMMHS have held 75 meetings, entertained and informed audiences across the globe and published three books raising over £2,800 for our charity.

The group has supported us further by introducing its group members to the charity, including Chris, who has donated over £2,000 via the delivery of special interest talks on subjects such as ‘Dambusters’ and ‘Disaster and Bravery at Dieppe’.

Jerry from the BMMHS says:

“We are passionate about history; it’s an honour and privilege to have been able to preserve the accounts of so many who served or witnessed war. Their stories are now in black and white for the next generation. To be able to raise money for a charity that supports personnel from the three strands of our Armed Forces makes us even more proud of what we’ve achieved.”

Victoria Beech, from our Fundraising team, says:

“It’s wonderful to see the British Modern Military History Society’s commitment to keeping stories from our military history alive. As the approaching D-Day 80th anniversary reminds us, one day all that will remain are these written accounts – we are as grateful for their endeavours in this area as we are for the vital funds they have raised.”

The British Modern Military History Society has an exciting and varied programme of talks in place for 2024 including the Battle of Britain, D-Day, the Falklands War and the first Gulf War. To find out more about the BMMHS, or to enquire about attending their meetings visit: www.bmmhs.org

Purchase Glimpses of War on Amazon

The Glimpses of War books can be purchased on Amazon at the following links:

Glimpses of War: Volume 1
Glimpses of War: Volume 2
Glimpses of the Falklands War