Temporary cessation of hostilities…

It’s with some regret that I’m going to announce that the Writing War seminar at QMUL will not be meeting this semester. Catherine Merridale and I had great plans for the coming year, and even the unsolicited offer of a paper (which shows we were getting somewhere). The sheer quantity of work which we both have to undertake this year, however, means that neither of us felt that we could adequately support the seminar with time. I found running the seminar very enjoyable and I very instructive, but also very stressful – definitely an important point on the Todman learning curve, but perhaps one where I don’t need to learn more at the minute. We will try to revitalise it either next semester or the next academic year, probably with a specific aim in terms of the production of papers. Thanks to all those who attended and supported: we will be in touch.

Performing the Somme

One of the most distinctive features about the most recent anniversary of the Somme is an increased emphasis on recreation. Previous posts have noted the media interest in the group of living historians helped by the National Army Museum who marched along the battlefront and attended commemorations, and the existence of a living ‘trench experience’ supported by English Heritage. This move seems to me to have resulted from three things: a growing concentration on ‘experiencing’ history, the attractiveness as a story/means of publicity  of ‘feeling’ the past, and a shift of the war into a category of historical events which we feel strongly about, but which are far enough away that they can be entertainment. It’s just been brought to my attention that the Imperial War Museum and the Old Vic are launching a project to allow local citizens to ‘bring the Somme to life’ in a series of performances at the IWM in mid-November. The project is supported by the National Lottery Fund. I only wish I lived in Lambeth so I could join. The press release reads:

SOMME THEATRE OPEN AUDITIONS - CALLING LOCAL RESIDENTS

Sunday 1 October

10am at the Old Vic stage door, Webber Street

The Old Vic Theatre, in partnership with the Imperial War

Museum, is inviting local residents to sign up for a role in

a brand new play commemorating the 90th anniversary of the

Battle of the Somme. Somme Theatre will see a community cast

exploring the realities of life on the front line and

presenting a nightly show from 15 to 19 November in the

Imperial War Museum's dramatic glass-roofed atrium.  The Old

Vic is looking for 85 volunteers to contribute to all

aspects of the project: both on and off stage. Lambeth and

Southwark residents willing to sign up for the war effort

should come to The  Old Vic (Stage Door) at 10am on Sunday 1

October for an informal audition. All ages welcome from 14

yrs upwards.  No experience is necessary just lots of

enthusiasm.

IHR 1815-1945 programme for forthcoming term

Institute of Historical Research

Seminar: British History, 1815-1945

Bit of management and a CFP

Just updated the sidebar to include some more blogs which are now on my regular reading list – Civil Warriors, which I like as a fine example of group blogging and Alan Allport’s War Starts at Midnight, which seems likely to bring Alan’s expertise to bear on a wide variety of ‘Britain in the world wars’ material. I’ve also added Mark Grimsley’s excellent series of posts on academic blogging, which he categorises as ‘Letters to Leila’ – primarily so that I have a single easy place to which to point those who ask me why I do this.

In other news, just received the latest CFP from the International Society for First World War Studies: