In conversation with Martin Cawthorne, author of The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War

Join the Royal Hospital Chelsea Tour Guides in conversation with Martin Cawthorne, author of The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War, as they explore the wartime history of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

About the event

The Royal Hospital Chelsea is best known as a home for retired soldiers, but during the Second World War it found itself on the front line. Despite the enduring interest in this period, the Hospital’s wartime experience remained only partially understood, until the publication of Martin Cawthorne’s The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War.

Join our In-Pensioner Tour Guides in conversation as they quiz Martin on his involvement with the Royal Hospital, his research into its wartime history, and the stories they are now able to share with visitors during their historical tours of the Hospital and its grounds.

Additional information

Enter via Chelsea Gate

This event is eligible for our 20% ticket bundle discount.

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About the speakers

Author Martin Cawthorne spent a career in finance before he began volunteering at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. He worked on a project to digitise part of the institution’s archive collection while undertaking a master’s degree in Historical Studies at the University of Oxford, for which he researched the Hospital’s wartime history. Martin is now recognised as the expert on the institution’s wartime story and works with the Royal Hospital Chelsea on a number of heritage and outreach projects.

Though Chelsea has long since been engulfed by the sprawl of London, the Royal Hospital remains one of the most iconic sites within the capital. As the permanent home to the Chelsea Pensioners, it is numbered amongst the nation’s most loved and valued working historic buildings. The Royal Hospital’s relevance to modern society remains undiminished, continuing a centuries-old tradition of veteran care.