ABOUT THE TALK

This talk will cover the story of HMS Unicorn from when she was launched in 1824 up to the present day. The ship was never fitted out as a fighting frigate and instead went into reserve, acting as a storage hulk until she was towed to Dundee in 1873 to become the training ship for the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR). She was decommissioned in 1968 and since then has been managed by the Unicorn Preservation Society. Lachlan will speak about the ship that might have been (a Leda class sailing frigate) and the ship that was (an RNR training vessel). 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Lachlan Gunn is co-founder and Executive Director of the European Association for Secure Transactions (EAST), a non-profit organisation. Founded in 2004 EAST has set up an international network to help improve public/private sector cross-border cooperation in the fight against organized cross-border financial crime. EAST has active representation from 35 Countries and maintains working relationships with Europol, GCCPOL, INTERPOL and the US Secret Service.

A graduate of Edinburgh University, Lachlan began his career in the British Armed Forces, initially as a Seaman Officer in the Royal Navy, and then as an Infantry Officer in the British Army (Kings Own Scottish Borderers and Second KEO Gurkha Rifles). He left the Army in Hong Kong in 1989 and managed several commercial security companies before founding EAST. He has a strong background in risk management and has worked extensively in Europe and Asia-Pacific, where he founded Securicor Taiwan Ltd (now a G4S business).

In his spare time Lachlan is an author – his first novel ‘Merdeka’ is set in Malaya in 1957. He is also a volunteer Tour Guide on HMS Unicorn. His interests are history, particularly ancient and British history, hill walking, and playing the bagpipes.