Candidate Profile

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EXPERTISE
History - Military
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH:
BIOGRAPHY
Jeremy Prescott was an Army Officer for 26 years reaching the rank of Lt Col seeing operational service in Northern Ireland and Dhofar, Oman.

After leaving the Army he was appointed CEO of a charity supporting rural communities. Initially he developed the Sacrifice and Remembrance presentation from a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to support communities in their own commemoration of the 100th anniversary of WW1.

From interest from audiences from this presentation this led to the creation of a further 14/presentations in the Sacrifice and Remembrance series www.sacrificeandremembrance,com . To date he has delivered these presentations to over 16,000 people in over 505 venues on a voluntary basis with all donations (as at 21st November 2023 totally over £30,000) received from these presentations being passed to Combat Stress – the veterans mental health charity.

He has recently completed cruises as an enrichment speaker on Regal Princess and Cunard’s Queen Victoria.

PRESENTATIONS
1. Sacrifice and Remembrance helps to commemorate the 100th anniversary period of WW1. The presentation is not about the rights or wrongs of going to war but the sacrifice made and how that sacrifice of 1.7m is commemorated through the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), the personalities involved, the reaction to the CWGC principles by the British public, stories behind some of the headstones and how we now commemorate the fallen in recent conflicts

2. The Miracle Flower – From Flanders to the Tower tracks the evolution of The Poppy in remembrance of the fallen from Capt John McCrae’s iconic poem "In Flanders Fields" , the first poppy appeal in 1918 by an American Moina Michael, the involvement of Anna Guerin in promoting the poppy in France and the establishment of the poppy factory in Richmond U.K.concluding with the “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red” display at the Tower of London in 2014.

3. For Valour the Victoria Cross Story covers the evolution of the Victoria Cross and the bravery of some of those who have been awarded this highest award for gallantry.

4. Iconic Memorials for the Fallen highlights those national memorials across the world which commemorate the scale of the sacrifice in particular WW1 and WW2

5. The Tragedy of War - Vietnam looks at different aspects of this war from both sides in a non judgemental way : the political and military leadership, modus operandi of French, American and North Vietnamese forces, the media, anti war demonstrations, POWs, Scale of Sacrifice, the American withdrawal, and Vietnam today

6. The Forgotten Heroes of My Lai covers the story of the great courage of 3 US helicopter crewmen who intervened to stop the killing of over 500 civilians at My Lai, Vietnam in 1968, the cover up of the incident by the military, the involvement of journalists in exposing the tragedy, and how 30 years later two of the helicopter crew were subsequently awarded the Soldiers Medal for their bravery and moral courage and their return to My Lai.

7. The Wall - Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The inspiring story of this memorial. The vision came from Cpl Jan Scruggs who defied all the odds to turn his idea into reality. The designer was Maya Ling a 20 year old Yale undergraduate whose competition entry was selected from 1,000 others. The struggle to raise funds, the site on the Mall and approval for the final design. Memorabilia left at the wall and the story they tell, The memorial was initially criticised by veterans but now have embraced it and it is one of the most visited memorials in America.

8. The Sinking of the Laconia covers the torpedoing of this troop ship by a U Boat in September 1942 and the bravery of the three U Boat commanders who came to the rescue of the survivors, the bombing of the U boats by an American plane, and the inspirational story of survival as 2 of the lifeboats travelled 700 miles to West Africa .

9. 90 Minutes at Entebbe - The Story of Operation Thunderbolt. The story of the Air France hijacking en route from Athens to Paris, the planning to rescue the hostages, how Israeli Special Forces freed the hostages from the air terminal at Entebbe Uganda, the loss of their commander Lt Col Yoni Netanyahu, the aftermath of the rescue.

10. Violette Szabo GC. The stirring story of this SOE operative in WW2, the selection and training involved, the 2 missions she undertook in France, her capture and resilience in captivity, her execution in Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, the award of the George Cross posthumously for her bravery and what became of her family after the war.

11. Bomber Command. The story of Bomber Command in WW2, the Avro Lancaster Bomber, it’s crew and their life, Op Chastise (Dambusters) and Barnes Wallis’ invention of the Bouncing Bomb, Op Manna (Food Drops in Holland), Op Exodus (Repatriation of POWs), how the fallen are remembered with memorials dedicated to Bomber Command and the personal story of a Pathfinder Lancaster Bomber, it’s crew and relatives left behind.

12. The Steve Biko Story This moving presentation tells the story of 3 men who shaped the future of S Africa from the days of apartheid to the Rainbow Nation ; Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and Donald Woods. Donald Woods the journalist on whose life the film Cry Freedom was based was quoted as saying Steve Biko died for the dream and Nelson Mandela made the dream come true

13. Capt Noel Chavasse VC & Bar. One of only 3 double VC winners this presentation tells the story of Noel Chavase a miltary doctor in WW1. His childhood and younger years and his outstanding bravery which repeatedly saw him go forward of the front line to find and treat wounded soldiers culmiating in his final action at Passchendaele where he was mortally wounded. The presentation concludes with how his legacy is now remembered.

14. Britain’s Secret War - Dhofar Oman. The story of how Britain supported the Omani government through military involvement in the Dhofar War in the 1970s. The coup which saw the Sultan being disposed and replaced by his son Qaboos, the involvement of the SAS and the epic battle they fought in Mirbat where 8 soldiers repelled 300 rebels, and how the enemy were isolated from the population by internal initiatives. Jeremy recounts his 2 year tour with a Baluch Regiment in the counter insurgency which followed the war, and his visit to Oman some 40 years after the war to see the progress made in that country

15. Op Overlord - D Day The Normandy Landings. A presentation to commemorate the 80th Anniversary (2024) of D Day both from an Allied and German viewpoint. The progress of WW2 preceding the invasion by allies in Normandy in 1944, the deception about the landing beaches, the rehearsals preceding the invasion, the plan and the military commanders, the execution of the invasion, the difficulties encountered in moving from the beach heads and the final breakout. The presentation concludes with the memorials that commemorate this historic military action.
CRUISE HISTORY / EXPERIENCE
Jeremy has been offered placements with 3 cruise lines P&O (Princess Azura), Empress (Regal Princess) and Cunard (Queen Victoria) and has recently completed cruises with the latter two. He has also completed presentations in 505 venues to over 17,000 people on 14 different topics in the Sacrifice and Remembrance series since 2014

The testimonials received universally comment on how moving the presentations are see www.sacrificeandremembrance.com. The presentations all of 45 minute duration are delivered using powerpoint and without notes.
ADDITIONAL RELEVANT INFORMATION
Due to Covid -19 Jeremy remains fully committed to delivering his 11 presentations remotely through Zoom
RECENT PAST CRUISES COMPLETED
The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.
SHIP REF CRUISE DESCRIPTION NIGHTS SAILING FROM DEPARTURE DATE
Regal Princess G330N 12-Day British Isles with Portland 12 Southampton Sunday, September 17, 2023