The Balloon's Going Up
Brian Fare
- Organisation:
- HistoryFare
- Region:
- East Midlands
- Notice Period:
- Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid: £40
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 28th February 2025
- Tagged:
- Military History | Ww1 | Aviation History | Royal Flying Corps
The Balloon’s Going Up talk looks at the life of 2nd Lt Elfric Ashby Twidale, the grandson of the long standing (of over 40 years) vicar of Meltons Baptist Church Reverend Joseph Twidale.
Elfrics father, Ashby, emigrated from Melton to Canada where he set up home, married and raised his family.
Elfric joined the local Militia when he turned 18 and enlisted into the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of WW1. He served with the No2 Eaton Machine Gun Battery before taking his Commission with the Royal Field Artillery. Shortly after being commissioned, he was promoted to Temporary Captain commanding a Trench Mortar Battalion.
After this command, he was assigned to the Royal Flying Corps and became an Observer known as a ‘Balloonatic’. Whilst up in the air over the Arras battlefield in 1917, he was killed.
Views: 10 | Enquiries: 0About Brian Fare
During my 27 years service with the RAF, I was extremely fortunate, some say lucky, to visit some interesting places and meet lots of interesting people, some of which were veterans of previous campaigns fought by our Royal Air Force.
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by military history, especially when it is related to the Royal Air Force. A subject which has become my full-time passion, or as some would say ‘obsession’.
In 2022 I turned my hobby into a business and formed HistoryFare by becoming a tour guide and public speaker delivering a range of talks covering both local history and military history.
Other Talks on SpeakerNet by Brian Fare
- Freckleton Air Disaster
- RAF Melton Mowbray
- RAF Melton Mowbray Nuclear Missile Base
- Lest We Forget - War Memorials
- The Falklands War - All in a Days Work for the RAF
- 156 Battalion Parachute Regiment
- RAF Saltby & the 314th Troop Carrier Group
- Just Another Trip! – The Melton Mowbray Wellington Bomber Crash
- Thailand – Burma Railway aka “The Death Railway”
- Melton Mowbray and the Crimean War
- The British 1st Airborne Division
- RAF Folkingham & 313th Troop Carrier Group
- Melton Mowbray In World War Two
- Fray Bentos
- Historic Melton Mowbray Through Old Postcards
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