Local MP, Mike Penning, spoke to the U3A Dacorum Military History Group on Wednesday. Mike recounted his experiences from boy soldier through to his current position as Minister of State for the Armed Forces in a light-hearted talk to the group.

He told members about his visit to Afghanistan last month and about current military deployments overseas as well as outlining his work as MP for Hemel Hempstead.

After the talk, U3A organiser John Waller presented Mike with a book entitled "GREAT COMMANDERS" which covers the greatest commanders of all time from Alexander, Scipio Africanus, Saladin, Cromwell, Nelson, Guderian, Montgomery etc.

The U3A (the University of the Third Age) movement is a unique organisation, generally aimed at people from their mid-fifties up, where local people meet in study groups to share their life experiences and passions, to study and learn together purely for the enjoyment of it.

Dacorum U3A has a very wide range of study groups and members can join any number of them.

For more information, visit www.u3adacorum.co.uk.

Photo: John Waller presents Mike Penning with the book “Great Commanders”