Military History: Some Reflections on Northern Ireland and a varied career

SOME REFLECTIONS ON NORTHERN IRELAND AND A VARIED CAREER..

Guest Speaker: MAJ John Burns

Major John Burns (‘JB’ as he is known to most people) is currently the Manager of The ArmyMuseum of South Australia but he has a lengthy and fascinating military career behind him before this. He came across to the Australian Army in 2007 – a lateral transfer as it is known– after serving for many years, through the ranks, in British Army air defence positions. Thisincluded postings to both Northern Ireland and Germany, the two theatres that absorbed most of the British Army’s capability, at least until the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s.

JB has a wealth of stories and experiences to recount and in this presentation will mostly consider the war of nerves and fear that Northern Ireland represented, but also briefly the challenges faced by The British Army of The Rhine as they confronted mass Soviet conventional forces in northern Europe for over four decades. JB’s sense of humour and calm demeanour endears him to most people, and in addition to his personal recollections,he will also touch on differences he has noted between his early military career and hismore recent involvement in the Australian Defence Force. Certainly his views on Air Defence – clearly a critical issue in the Ukraine now – will be relevant and interesting.

Time: 1830 lecture begins; 1930 dinner

Members Price: $70.00; $15.00 lecture only

Non-Members: $80.00; $15.00 lecture only

Dress: Jacket and Tie

RSVP: By 5PM, Monday 3 July 2023

(Bookings cancelled after the RSVP will incur a 50% charge of the ticket price)