Next Lunch and Speakers

Friday 19th September 2025

Britain’s atomic v bombers – a personal memoir

Our speaker, after a friendly lunch on Friday 19 September, will suggest to members of Milford Probus club and visitors (always welcome) that the Cold War of the 1960s has uncomfortable resonances with today.

While much of Britain  embraced the swinging sixties, the threat from an aggressive Soviet Union was deadly serious. The Royal Air Force’s role in countering that threat included a formidable nuclear deterrent provided by Britain’s V Bomber Force. Around the country, nuclear armed aircraft with highly trained crews were on duty 24/7, able to be airborne in two minutes. The purpose of such potent defence was to ensure that no sane person would dare challenge let alone test it. It worked. Our speaker Andy Richardson, one of  those crew members, believes that the RAF V Force provided the safest decade for our country in recent history. 

Come and hear Andy’s story first hand. Lunch and talk are just £32

Friday 17th October 2025

The Madness of Courage : the astonishing exploits of a WW1 pilot

Group Captain Gilbert Insall holds a unique record: he is the only person to have both won a Victoria Cross and escaped successfully from a German prisoner of war camp during the First World War. 

After a congenial lunch on Friday 17 October, his great-nephew Tony Insall will tell this story of exceptional achievements and near-unbelievable courage to members of Milford Probus Club, guests and visitors. Tony has a distinguished career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of War Studies at King’s College and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He lives near Guildford.

Friday 20th June 2025

Exploring geothermal energy

After a friendly lunch, on Friday 20 June members of Milford Probus club and visitors (always welcome) will learn about the prospects for geothermal energy. Peter Clutterbuck has  a Cambridge degree in engineering and has had a career in energy projects around the world. He is driven now by the challenge of replacing fossil fuels (hydrocarbons) with low carbon energy.

Oil and gas have high carbon emissions. Wind and solar power are developing fast but are dependent on weather. Hydro has limited suitable sites. Nuclear is expensive, has long lead times and public safety concerns, though small modular reactors could be promising.

Geothermal energy suffers no such problems. It operates 24/7 and could have enormous potential across the globe as the earth is hot at depth everywhere. While drilling costs remain high however, hot and shallow sites are best and such ‘hot spots’ are being exploited in 32 countries. At just 1% of today’s global energy mix, there is great potential, as Peter will explain.