Based on the speaker's ongoing research, it is argued that studies of leadership and command in the Great War have concentrated too much on officers and failed to recognise adequately the crucial role played by NCOs. This slightly provocative talk aims to redress the balance and stimulate debate.
About the speaker
Tom studied at Oxford and at Durham, where he took his PhD. He worked throughout his career in the Ministry of Defence, and spent eight years in the Territorial Army before retiring as a captain in 1988. He retired early in 2008. His first book Those Bloody Kilts; The Highland Soldier in the Great War, was published in 2019 and won Second Runnerup, Best First Book (Society for Army Historical Research). Tom continues his research into both the Highland soldier and the Great War.