Was Suez the spark that lit the bonfire of today’s uprisings in the Arab world? Richard Thorpe, renowned historian and biographer, will talk about the 1956 Suez Crisis at the March meeting of Linton & District History Society.

The seizure and nationalisation of the Suez Canal by the Egyptian Government, under Colonel Nasser, was to prove a turning point for the former colonial powers of Britain and France. Their failure to regain control hastened independence movements in other nations and led to the resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden.

Richard Thorpe was appointed Eden’s official biographer with access to official and personal papers. His later biography of Harold Macmillan won the Marsh Biography Prize in 2011.

His talk is the 2016 Founders Lecture of Linton and District History Society. This annual lecture is given by a distinguished historian on a topic of their choosing, not necessarily with any local connection.

The lecture will be on Wednesday, March 2nd at 7.30pm in Linton Village Hall (admission £2 for members, £3 for visitors) and all are welcome.

More details about the society can be obtained from its website: www.ldhs.net.