Abstract:
As it will be November, this learn and connect session is all about fireworks.
Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.
Threescore barrels, laid below,
To prove old England’s overthrow.
But, by God’s providence, him they catch,
With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
A stick and a stake
For King James’s sake!
If you won’t give me one,
I’ll take two,
The better for me,
And the worse for you.
A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
A penn’orth of cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to wash it down,
And a jolly good fire to burn him.
Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!
The presentation will look at the relationship between various fireworks and their effect.
How they function and can be combined into a single unit or a complex pyro-musical display, and will explore the subject using various animations and video clips, covering the presenters 40 plus year of working with fireworks, specifically focussing on:
Bio:
At the age of 17, Steve joined the Territorial Army (UK Reserve Forces) and qualified as a Bomb Disposal Engineer, while still at school! Later becoming a higher qualified EOD Engineer, Combat Engineer and Ammunition Specialist.
The Royal Armaments Research and Development Establishment (RARDE) – Part of the UK Ministry of Defence, recruited Steve as a research scientist in their warheads and terminal effects department at Fort Halstead, where he was involved with:
Defeat of Concrete, Anti-Armour Warheads, Large Calibre Kinetic Energy Penetrators, The ‘Old Fort’ in house high explosive facility, Explosives Technical Support to various projects, Explosives Competencies, Oil Rig Decommissioning, and the development of Increased Performance Explosive Perforating Tools for the Oil Industry.
Outside of his main employment Steve started doing presentations and demonstrations of pyrotechnic special effects. This lead to a much deeper interest in the subject of pyrotechnics special effects and explosives in general. Steve has since provided explosive special effects for numerous film productions, stage shows and live battle simulations.
This personal and professional interest in explosives lead Steve to pursue membership of the Institute of Explosives Engineers. In 1997 he became a full Member of the Institute and was invited to join the Institutes Council, where he served until stepping down in 2005. Steve re-joined the Institute Council in 2017 till 2023.
The Institute of Explosives Engineers gave Steve a wider view of many aspects of the explosives industry and related technologies, materials and techniques. This wealth of knowledge and understanding now means that Steve is regarded as a subject matter expert and works as an expert witness on explosives use and misuse for both UK and international courts.
Steve also delivered lectures and demonstrations on explosives and related subjects to various and varied audiences, including schools (as a STEM Ambassador) conferences, YouTube, television, and radio appearances.
In 2016 Steve became a Chartered Engineer through the Institute of Explosives Engineers and is now a mentor and assessor for others seeking similar professional registration. In 2021 Steve earned an MSc in Explosive Ordnance Engineering and was recognised as a Fellow of the Institute of Explosives Engineers due to his long-term support and services to the explosives industry.
