Description

The Keep Military Museum in Dorchester will host a special evening on the 29th of August 2025, from 18:30 – 21:00.

The event will be held at the Dorchester Army Reserve Centre and will include a drinks reception followed by a special talk on the 5th Battalion Dorsetshire Regiment and the Queen’s Own Dorset Yeomanry at Gallipoli. The talk will be hosted by Dorset Military Historian, Elliot Metcalfe and battlefield guide and military historian Lt Col James Porter.

The Disaster at Gallipoli

The Dardanelle Campaign was the brainchild of Winston Churchill to open another front on the Ottomans and put pressure on Constantinople. On paper, it was a risky endeavour, and in reality, it was a disaster. The 5th Dorsets and the Yeomanry, both part of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, sustained heavy losses

Places for this event will be strictly limited, so tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. All proceeds from the evening will support The Keep Military Museum, a registered charity devoted to the military history of the counties of Devon and Dorset.

The venue – the Dorchester Army Reserve Centre – is in Poundbury Road, Dorchester DT1 1TA. The Top O’Town car park is a couple of minutes’ walk away and free of charge from 6 pm. The drinks reception will start at 6.30 pm, followed by the talk at 7 pm.

Our Speakers

Elliot Metcalfe served in the Dorset Army Reserve for over a decade and is The Keeps’ expert on the Dorset Regiment and the Dorset Yeomanry in the First World War, specialising in Mesopotamia. He is also the author of two military websites; metcalfemilitaryhistory.co.uk, dorsetinthegreatwar.co.uk.

James Porter was commissioned into The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, commanded 5 RRF and served for a total of 41 years, the last 8 as Commander Defence Training Estates South West. He delivers a large range of talks on military history subjects, is the founder of the Wessex Military History group and is a battlefield guide. The son of a distinguished Devon officer, Roly, who served in Malta and Sicily and won the Military Cross in Italy. James played a major part in producing Roy’s Boys, Christopher Jary’s book on Sicily.

Tickets cost £15 per person and include the following:

· Admission to the talk on the Dorsetshire Regiment at Gallipoli.

· Complimentary drink

Keep Friends and current museum volunteers enjoy a 10% discount on the ticket price.