New Research in Military History: A Conference for Postgraduate
and Early-career Historians
18 November 2011
This conference, organised by the British Commission for Military History in association with
the History of Warfare Research Group at King’s College London, intends to highlight the
breadth and depth of research being undertaken by postgraduate and early career historians in
the field of military history.
The British Commission for Military History's New Research in Military History conference is a
recently established forum for those are engaged in research in military history or related
disciplines to meet other new and established scholars and to present a paper in a supportive
environment. We aim to provide an opportunity for postgraduate and early-career historians to
present their work to a wider audience of practising military historians. The British Commission
for Military History is the pre-eminent association for professional military historians in the UK,
dedicated to the promotion and discussion of military history in its broadest sense. This
conference is designed to introduce younger scholars to the Commission, whose members will
also be in attendance.
The conference will include a keynote lecture by Brian Holden Reid, Professor of American
History and Military Institutions at King’s College London. It will take place at the Strand
Campus of King’s College London, in the War Studies Department, King’s Building, room
K6.07. Instruction on how to reach the campus and the War Studies department can be found at
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/campuses/strand/Strand.aspx
The conference is free to members of the British Commission for Military History. For nonmembers and interested parties the fee is £10. The fee includes tea, coffee, and sandwich lunch
on the day.
If you wish to attend the conference please print out and return the form below, and send it by
Monday 14 November 2011 to the address below.
Conference Organisers
Paul Harris
Ross Mahoney
bcmhnewresearchers@gmail.com
Conference webpage - http://warstudies.wordpress.com/british-commission-for-militaryhistory-new-research-in-military-history-conference/
BCMH New Research in Military History Conference
I wish to attend the New Research in Military History Conference on Friday 18th November
2011.
Name:
Institution:
I enclose a cheque for ……………../I am a member of the British Commission for Military
History (Please delete where appropriate)
(Please make cheques payable to ‘The British Commission for Military History’)
Contact address:
Email:
Telephone number:
Please specify any special dietary or other requirements:
Please return this form to Paul Harris, C/O Justin Holder, Department of War Studies
King's College London, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS by 14 November 2011.
New Research in Military History: A Conference for Postgraduate
and Early-career Historians
18 November 2011
Conference Proceedings
08:45 – 09:15: Registration (Room K6.07, War Studies Department, King’s College
London)
09:15 – 09:25: Welcome and Introduction by Professor William Philpott (King’s College
London) Secretary General of the British Commission for Military History
09:30 – 10:50: Panel A1 – Ancient and Medieval Warfare
Ilya Berkovich (University of Cambridge) ‘The Use of Missile Weapons in the Manipular
Legion’
Dr Laura Crombie (Independent Scholar) ‘A ‘French Armada’ or a ‘Brief flirtation’? French
plans to invade England in 1385 and 1386’
Dr Robert Jones (University of Leeds) ‘Liveries, Ensigns and Russet-coated Captains: Military
Revolution through the lens of Martial Display’
09:30 – 10:50: Panel B1 – The Writing of the History of Warfare
Grace Huxford (University of Warwick) ‘The Reality of Experience: Autobiography and
Military History’
Julia Dawson (King’s College London) ‘More than Just Bombing: A Critical Examination of
The Official History of the War in the Air 1917-1918’
Dr Lars Peder Haga (Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy) ‘Stalin’s Confused Conquerors:
Two Soviet Soldier-Writers on Eastern Europe’
10:50 – 11:10: Coffee
11:10 – 12:30: Panel A2 – Warfare in the Early Modern Age
Marco Giani (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) ‘Venetian Warfare in the Age of Palmanova:
Paolo Paruta’s Discorsi Politici (1599)’
Dr Adam Lyons (University of Birmingham) ‘Rankers for North America: Mass Promotion in
the Army of Queen Anne’
Catherine Scheybeler (King’s College London) ‘Jorge Juan y Santacilia’s Mission to London:
An example of Eighteenth-Century Naval Espionage’
11:10 – 12:30: Panel B2 – Warfare in the 19th Century
Richard Dunley (King’s College London) ‘The Royal Navy’s Coastal Assault Strategy during
the 1878 Straits Crisis and the Development of Offensive Mine Warfare’
Edward Gosling (University of Plymouth) ‘The Advantages of the Army: A Revised
Assessment of the Childers Reforms 1880 – c.1905’
Paul Ramsey (University of Calgary) ‘Spenser Wilkinson and British Strategy before the Boer
War’
12:30 – 13:15: Lunch
13:15 – 14:35: Panel A3 – The First World War (I)
Jeff Cleverley (King’s College London) ‘Defeated before even a shot had been fired? The
planning of the Suvla Bay landings at Gallipoli, August 1915’
Stuart Mitchell (University of Birmingham) ‘Constructive Disobedience: ‘Consent and Evade’
in the Great War’
Rob Schafer (Pennsylvania State University) ‘With Good Cheer and Chocolate: The Role of
Everyday Stimulants Amongst Soldiers During the Great War’
13:15 – 14:35: Panel B3 – The Second World War
Benjamin Coombs (University of Kent) ‘“Tanks for Russia”, 1941-1945’
Iain Johnston (University of Cambridge) ‘The British Commonwealth Air Training Schemes in
World War Two’
Dr Jonathan Fennell (King’s College London) ‘New Research on the British Army in the
Second World War’
14:40 – 15:40: Panel A4 – Fortifications and Terrain in War
Victoria Henshaw (University of Birmingham) ‘Structures of Oppression? Scotland’s
Fortifications c.1700-1750’
Neal Dando (University of Plymouth) ‘Gazala, right battle – wrong ground?’ the impact of
terrain on Eighth Army’s tactical battle, May-June 1942’
14:40 – 15:40: Panel B4 – War and Society
Nicholas Beeching (University of Birmingham) ‘The Provincial Press & the Outbreak of War:
A Unionist View in Worcestershire’
Dr Alan Allport (Syracuse University) ‘The British Working Man in Arms in the Second World
War’
15:40 – 16:00: Tea
16:00 – 17:20: Panel A5 – The First World War (II)
Michael LoCicero (University of Birmingham) ‘A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation
on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2 December 1917’
Simon Justice (University of Birmingham) The Organization of Defeat – BEF Defensive
Preparations during the winter of 1917/18
Dennis Williams (University of Birmingham) ‘Forgotten in Flanders: British Second Army in
the Hundred Days 1918’
16:00 – 17:20: Panel B5 – Small Wars and Insurgencies
Spyridon Tsoutsoumpis (University of Manchester) ‘Sources of morale among Greek resisters
(1941-1945)’
Jacob Stoil (University of Oxford) ‘The Saison de Chasse: Successful Counter Insurgency in
Palestine’
Dr James Hudson (Independent Scholar) ‘Operation Allied Force: A Doctrine Dilemma?’
17:30 – 18:15: Keynote Lecture by Professor Brian Holden-Reid (King’s College London)
18:15: Drinks Reception sponsored by the Society for Military History