1918 - THE FINAL HUNDRED DAYS

TICKETS AVAILBALE TO EVERYONE - WHETHER OR NOT W.F.A MEMBERS

The WFA Somerset Branch will be holding their 3rd Regional Seminar on 28th June 2008.

As in previous years it will be held at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, situated at Yeovilton in Somerset.

The Theme will be 1918 - The Final Hundred Days.

The Guest Speakers are:

Dr. John Bourne - 'One Day in a Not Very Long War'. The BEF on 29th September 1918.

Prof. Peter Simkins MBE, FRHistS - The Battle of the Somme - 1918.

Brig. Mike Shaw - The 100 Days - Reviewed.

Morning Coffee & Biscuits.
Buffet Lunch
Afternoon Tea & Biscuits.

Licenced Bar.

Book Stall.
Uniform & Equipment Dispalys
Raffle.

Tickets: 22.00 (UK Pounds) (INCLUDES FREE ENTRY TO THE MUSEUM)
Available by POST from:

Mrs M Vidal, 24 Bilbury Lane, Glastonbury,
Somerset, BA6 8LX

Cheques payable to W.F.A. Somerset

Please enclose a S.A.E.

Justifying War: Propaganda, Politics and War in the Modern Age. 8-10 July 2008 - to be held at the University of Kent , Canterbury , Kent , United Kingdom

Call for Papers

In the modern age, propaganda has become synonymous with warfare, the battle for hearts and minds occupying a central position within military and civilian planning. This conference intends to promote a broader, comparative approach to the themes of justifying war and the just war, drawing on social, political, military, cultural and economic studies from the Napoleonic Wars of the 19th Century through to the current war in Iraq. While the conference is mainly historical in focus, there is naturally a contemporary resonance between the experience of past efforts to justify war and more recent activities, notably in the Middle East and Eastern Europe . We would like to encourage interdisciplinarity, especially the cross-fertilization of history with the wider military and media communities. Scholars will have the opportunity to compare and contrast studies drawn from such diverse chronological, thematic and methodological positions to test the inception and development of the concept of justifying war in the modern era. This will be the first major international conference of its kind to explore these issues and will, we hope, identify further research synergies forming the basis for future collaboration.

To book and find out more information click HERE

About three weeks ago we were notified that there was a strong possibility that we would have to vacate our excellent premises by 30 September 2008. This has now been confirmed.. The Liverpool Scottish ACF unit, currently flourishing in an inner-city area of high deprivation, is also affected.

* The Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for North West England and the Isle of Man holds a lease on these premises from the private owner to whom the old Edge Lane Barracks were sold by MoD Estates in around 2002. A rent review has resulted in the RFCA being asked pay a rental that could not be met from available funds. Attempts at negotiation have been unsuccessful.

* The Trustees of the Regimental Museum would like to be clear in expressing their gratitude to the RFCA in providing a home for us over the last seven years following the closure of Forbes House in Childwall.

* Although the long term viability of the Liverpool Scottish Regimental Museum has always been under review by the Museum's Trustees against the background of the available financial and human resources (i.e. money and volunteers), this is a considerable set back and one which we had not expected to have to face for some years.

* It is anticipated that displays will remain in place until the beginning of June when it is probable that they will begin to be dismantled. We will try to welcome people to the Museum through into September but our first priority will have to be the orderly packing of artifacts in a way in which the location of every item is documented. If you wish to visit the Museum and have not yet done so, you need to make arrangements to do this soon. Packing itself is a complex operation that needs to be done with an awareness of conservation issues given that items can remain in their packaging for many years. The packaging materials themselves need to be closely controlled; ordinary cardboard boxes will be detrimental to their contents over long periods because of their acidic nature.

* Where items are on loan to the Museum, we would welcome approaches from lenders at an early stage to discuss the future of their loans. It would be helpful if contact was in the first instance by e-mail with a subject line starting LOAN ITEM and with detail of telephone contact and postal address. However, there cannot be an informed discussion until the Trustees, in consultation with the Regimental Council and the Regimental Trustees, have established their options and formulated a plan and this is unlikely to be the case until mid-May.

* As the future become clearer, the Trustees will have to consider the artifacts in their care. Our aim will be as far as possible to maintain the integrity of the collection. It may be necessary to dispose of some accessions and we would wish to do this in line with an ethical disposal policy.

* Our friends need to be aware that whilst many of the artifacts within the museum are the responsibility of the Trustees of the Museum, others (such as the War Memorials and much of the silver) are the responsibility of the Regimental Trustees (a different body).

17 April 2008 - Richard Burnip

"You're no good Hook": The empire at war in the movies (part 2)

24 April 2008 - Robert Fleming

Under A Southern Sun: British Forces in Colonial Australia

1 May 2008 - Mark Connelly

'The White Man's Graveyard: the experiences of the West African Frontier Force, 1901-1914

8 May 2008 - Simon Moody

WAACs at War: women in the Army 1914 - 1918


15 May 2008 - John Latimer

The Forgotten War: Britain and America in 1812

22 May 2008 - Rupert Willoughby

William the Marshal: Perfect Knight

29 May 2008 - Sean Longden

Dunkirk: The Men They Left Behind

19 June 2008 - Dr Peter Boyden

The campaign that ended a career; Harry Smith and the 8th Frontier War

A DISPLAY date has been confirmed for never-before-seen archives featuring the names of men who fell during the First World War.
The Leith Rolls of Honour have been in storage since they were created in the 1920s.

But now, thanks to organisers of the Leith Festival and local historians, they will be available for public viewing as part of this year's Leith Festival, between May 30 and June 8 at Leith Library.

It means local people will be able to see details of their ancestors who fell during the Great War, and it is hoped it will prove a big hit with those going to the festival.

To read the full article click HERE

Saturday 24 May 2008 - Mud, Blood and Poppycock - Britain and the Great War, Part 1

Saturday 26 July 2008 - Britain and the Great War, Part 2

MORE INFORMATION

This exhibition traces George Lamberts work through his first journey to Palestine and the Sinai in 1918 and includes paintings he completed during the Australian Historical Mission to Gallipoli in 1919.

In just over 18 months, Lambert produced 99 small panel paintings, and hundreds of drawings and sketches of Gallipoli and Palestine. Concentrating on landscapes, the Memorial exhibition provides a unique insight into two very different, yet powerfully evocative, landscapes that moulded the experience of Australians in the First World War. These small panel paintings, which the official historian Charles Bean described as brilliant little flashes, vivid with life, give us an artists interpretation of the settings, atmosphere, and detailed topography of battle-sites from ANZAC Cove and the Nek to Romani, Beersheba, and Barada Gorge.

A blog was developed to introduce George Lambert: Gallipoli and Palestine landscapes. The blog presents an account of its development, and a forum for a discussion of the broader issues which are raised by the exhibition. Curators and conservators will contribute posts about how the exhibition is being put together and outline some of the work involved in presenting an exhibition for tour.

George Lambert: Gallipoli and Palestine landscapes
Gallery City State Start Finish
Ian Potter Museum of Art Melbourne VIC 12 Aug 2007 28 Oct 2007
Gosford Regional Art Gallery Gosford NSW 09 Feb 2008 30 Mar 2008
Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery Toowoomba QLD 12 Apr 2008 25 May 2008
Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery Broken Hill NSW 06 Jun 2008 13 Jul 2008
Bendigo Art Gallery Bendigo VIC 27 Jul 2008 31 Aug 2008
Hazelhurst Arts Centre Gymea NSW 12 Oct 2008 30 Nov 2008
LaTrobe Regional Gallery Morwell VIC 12 Dec 2008 15 Feb 2009
Port Macquarie Hasting Gallery Port Macquarie NSW 27 Feb 2009 26 Apr 2009

Open to all

There are WFA branches right across the UK and in selected locations worldwide.

For further details on branches, click the [Branches] menu to the left.

Visitors/Non Members are more than welcome to attend.

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