Weekly Social Gathering

Members & guests are meeting once again at The Duke on a Friday evening from 1800 until about 1900. All Members of HM Armed Forces of any rank, both serving & retired, are most welcome to join the gathering; as are any other people who would like to join us. So, please come along and make yourselves known; a warm welcome awaits you. The Duke is situated in the middle of Bratton on the main B3098 Westbury to West Lavington road; it is directly opposite the village shop & Post Office. The staff at The Duke are contactable via 01380 830242.

This website is updated regularly; it was last updated on 28 November 2022. If you have any queries or questions about the site, or perhaps have interesting information or an article that could be included on the site, please contact a member of the committee.

Poppy Talks

Poppy Talks are held throughout the year in support of The Poppy Appeal. Each of the speakers for The Poppy Talks is an expert in their field and has considerable experience in speaking to audiences such as ourselves. The Poppy Talk schedule is below.

The evenings will all follow the following format.  Talks will begin at 1800 in the Church Institute and should end by 1915 after questions.  Doors will be open from 1740  for refreshments (wine and soft drinks).  Entry is £5, technically by donation and we would be grateful if you could make a further donation for your drinks.  The speakers have all agreed to waive any fees on the basis that your donations will be going to The Poppy Appeal and the drinks will be provided at no cost to the evening.  We should therefore, once again, be able to make a major contribution to our annual aspiration of raising more money for the Appeal than we have done in any previous year.  That said, the evening is as much about entertainment and education as it is about raising funds.

After each talk, those who wish to do so are warmly invited to cross the road to The Duke to continue to entertain our speaker over drinks.  If you would also like to stay for dinner with the speaker that would be much appreciated and we ask that you book directly, in good time, with The Duke (01380 830242); they look forward to serving you!

If you would like to attend any of these talks, please email Colonel (Retd) Mike Manson at mpm1307@outlook.com saying how many will be in your party. We can then make the necessary arrangements.  However, you are also most welcome to come along without notice to any of these scheduled Poppy Talks:

Poppy Talk Dates For Your Diary

28 January 2023 - Tony Coutts-Britton will speak about World War II in The Caribbean.

18 February 2023 - Jonathon Bailey will speak about his experience of commanding an Assembly Place for 900 violent guerrillas & other local natives. They were part of a much larger contingent amongst whom rogue elements were seeking to disrupt the peaceful transition of Rhodesia to Zimbabwe in 1979/80.

25 March 2023 - A third talk is planned with the speaker & subject yet to be confirmed.

Marquee for Hire

An excellent 8 metre by 3 metre smart white marquee is available for hire within Bratton village only. The hire charge is £40 per event of up to 2 days, with 50% of this cost going each to the PCC & The Recreation Ground. This can be erected & dismantled for you for an extra £10. Contact Mike Smith (830351) or Mike Manson (830853).