Committee of the Friends

Committee of the Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras

Chairman - Andrew Dismore.
Andrew was a founder member of the Friends, after a 2009 visit to the Lines when Member of Parliament for Hendon. He has a particular interest in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, especially in the Peninsula. Andrew is also chair of trustees of the Council of British Archaeology (London). Andrew was the member of the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden and the London member of the Congress of Europe.

Vice-Chair and Communications - Dr Mark S Thompson.
Mark is an independent Military Historian specialising in the Peninsular War 1808-14, and has published several books on this subject. In 2009, he completed a PhD on the Royal Engineers which was published as 'Wellington's Engineers' in 2015. Subsequent books include: Wellington's Favourite Engineer and Wellington and the Lines of Torres Vedras.
His interests led to him joining the committee of the Friends and he now looks after the website, Facebook and general communications.
He has presented at many conferences in the UK and abroad and is also a member of the British Commission for Military History the Royal Engineers Historical Society and the Friends of the British Cemetery at Elvas.

Secretary - Ian Brewer.
Ian graduated in history at Leeds University in 1975 following which he joined the (then) Inland Revenue. In 1996 he entered private practice specialising in the valuation of intellectual property. He has an interest in a wide range of military history. He joined the Friends in 2014, took over as Treasurer in 2015 and is currently Secretary. He is also Treasurer of the British Commission for Military History (BCMH).

Membership Secretary- Elaine Roberts.
Elaine took a BSc (Hons) in Ergonomics at Loughborough University and is now retired after an extensive career as an IT Professional in the Photo, Engineering and Finance Industries. Elaine has held roles as Project Manager, Quality Manager, Service Manager and finally Security Management in the UK and Europe as a consultant. Elaine is currently Membership Secretary for the Friends of the Lines of Torres Vedras, Secretary of North Bucks Arts Society, and a member of the Arts Club Milton Keynes. Chris and I are well travelled in Portugal, and I am a “Sharpe” enthusiast

Treasurer - Chris Roberts
Chris took a BTech (Hons) in Production Engineering and Management at Loughborough University. A chartered engineer he is now retired after careers in engineering and later in the IT outsourcing industry. He is chairman of the Olney Royal British Legion Branch. He is a trustee of the Milton Keynes Rose. He is minute secretary of the Olney Archaeological Society and a member of the Northampton Battlefield Society and The Battlefields Trust.

Major General (Retired) Rui Moura
Rui Moura is a retired Major-General, now on the reserve list in the Portuguese army where he served in both national and NATO roles during 40 years of service. He served in many countries including Angola, Mozambique and the Balkans. Since retiring he has taken on a number of senior management roles in business including CEO of Grupo VASP and a member of the board of Grupo BEL and Grupo VASP.
Rui is also an excellent historian having published articles on military subjects many of which are available on Academia.com.

Major (Retired) Bernard Hornung.
Major Bernard Hornung was educated at Ampleforth College and at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He served 15 years in the Irish Guards, firstly as a Platoon Commander in the 1st Battalion, and secondly at the Infantry Junior Leaders Battalion. Following the loss of Sena Sugar, Bernard, applied for a Regular Commission and returned to Sandhurst in 1980. He then held four key appointments consecutively in Battalion Headquarters as: Regimental Intelligence Officer, Regimental Signals Officer, Operations Officer and Adjutant. He was appointed as the Staff Captain, Headquarters The Fortress of Gibraltar, and returned to the Battalion to Command Number 2 Company in Berlin, witnessing the re-unification of Germany, at the end of the Cold War. Deciding that he wished to be a Stockbroker he passed his Registered Representative Exam, changed his aspirations, went into Real Estate, where he held several appointments in Spain, Portugal and more recently in the United Kingdom. In 2013 Bernard was elected as Chairman, Anglo-Portuguese Society, then in its 75th year. Co-founded by his grandfather Bernard and great uncle George, along with several others in 1938. Bernard followed in their footsteps and those of his father Stephen, who was the Treasurer and subsequently Chairman in the 1980s. In this role, and for a few years after, Bernard spent time fundraising for the First World War Memorial dedicated to the Portuguese, Angolan, and Mozambican fallen in that terrible conflict, and to the humanitarian efforts of the last King of Portugal Dom Manuel II. These Memorial Windows and Memorial Tablet are to be found in St James Church, Pope’s Grove, Twickenham. Fluent in Spanish and in Portuguese Bernard joined Coltraco Ultrasonics in May 2020. Bernard, 66 is married to Tracy, they have recently moved to Shaftesbury, and have three children, and four grandchildren.

Mark Crathorne
Mark is the Vice-Chair of the British Historical Society of Portugal and the Chair of the Board for General Meetings of the Friends of the British Cemetery in Elvas, Portugal. When he moved to Portugal in the late 1980s he was impressed by the quantity of historical sites from the Peninsular War and started guiding battlefield tours in 2003. He has now guided over 80 tours, many of them to the Lines of Torres Vedras. Having served in the Royal Horse Artillery, he derives especial pleasure in re-living the heroic exploits of Captain Ramsay at the battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.

Lieutenant-Colonel Seán Scullion, Royal Engineers.
Seán Scullion is a serving officer in the British Army he was brought up in Spain and studied Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Nottingham. Having been involved in the Peninsular Wars commemorative events as Secretary of Peninsular War 200, he joined the committee of the Friends in 2012. He is a member of the Royal Engineers Historical Society and often guides on battlefield tours in Portugal and Spain.

Christina Hippisley
After reading History at Trinity College, Cambridge, Christina started her career in advertising and media relations, working first in London and then in Lisbon, before moving into magazine publishing in 1988. Having built a successful book and contract magazine publishing business in Portugal, she sold the business to the London-based Hemming Group and returned to London. She then continued her career in magazine and book publishing, working in senior roles at Archant Specialist Media, Virgin Books, and Merricks Media.
Christina joined the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce Council in 2006 and became the Chamber’s General Manager in February 2009. At the Chamber, she provides membership and marketing services for the Chamber’s company members..