The next talk at Tenby Museum and Art Gallery is The U-Boat War off the Welsh Coast 1915-1918 by Chris Delaney at 7 pm on Friday, May 5.

Chris has had extensive experience in the museum world, having worked for many years as county museums officer and heritage manager at Carmarthenshire County Museum and he currently has his own independent heritage consultant business, which he established when he retired from the museum’s service in 2007.

He is currently working on a project that seeks to provide a counterbalance to the terrestrial focus of the Western Front and many Home Front projects - to ensure that the maritime heritage and the merchant navy are not forgotten through the commemorative period of the war. The main focus will be on the war being waged by U-Boats on merchant shipping around the Welsh Coast, but inevitably will lead to an increasing awareness and interest in the Great War at Sea amongst the people of Wales.

Chris says: “During World War I, the German submarine campaign to cut off Britain’s supply lines almost brought the country to the point of potential starvation. Nearly 5,000 merchant ships were sunk by U-boats and 12,000 allied merchant seamen lost their lives.

“There are around 170 wrecks from the Great War around the coast of Wales. All of them were casualties of U-boat action. A programme of marine geophysical survey has been devised to record these lost ships and their crews. Working closely with staff from the Centre of Applied Marine Sciences, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, it will capture high-resolution multi-beam data for around 30 of the project’s chosen study wrecks. The images and models created will be used in a variety of ways to stimulate interest in this lost heritage and increase awareness of the key role that the merchant navy played in WWI and the sacrifices that were made.”

If you are interested in hearing this fascinating talk, then contact the museum on (01834) 842809 to book a seat. The tickets are £5 or £4 if you have a Friends of Tenby Museum membership card.