Gary Sheffield stands down as President of the WFA
Professor Gary Sheffield has announced that he will step down from his role as Honorary President of The Western Front Association. The Association’s next Honorary President will be Dr Spencer Jones.
Professor Sheffield, who succeeded Professor Peter Simkins in 2019, said:
“In October I decided that it was the right moment to leave the position of President. It has been a privilege to serve as President of the WFA. I remain fully committed to the work of the Association and am proud to have built on the work of my predecessor, and to leave it in a stronger and more resilient position than when I took office. I have greatly enjoyed my time as President and wish Spencer every success in the role.”
Dr Spencer Jones, a current Vice President of the WFA, has agreed to become the new Honorary President. He said:
“It is a great honour to follow Gary, who has been both a valued colleague and a close friend. We have worked together on many projects and I look forward to building on the legacy established by Gary and by Pete before him.”
Spencer will take up his position as Honorary President on 1 January 2026; a new Vice President will be appointed in due course to fill the vacancy that Spencer’s appointment has created.
About Dr Spencer Jones
Dr Jones is an award-winning British military historian and author. He serves as Senior Lecturer in Armed Forces and War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton and as Regimental Historian for the Royal Regiment of Artillery. His research focuses on the British Army in the First and Second World Wars and on the life of Winston Churchill.
Spencer holds a PhD in History from the University of Wolverhampton on the influence of the Boer War on pre-1914 British Army tactics. He leads undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in armed forces and First World War studies and has published widely on the British Army on the Western Front, with several of his books translated into multiple languages.
About Professor Gary Sheffield
Professor Sheffield is a leading British military historian and Visiting Professor at the Defence Studies Department, King's College London. His last full-time post was as Professor of War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton. His work concentrates on Britain and the Empire at war between 1914 and 1945, including the BEF on the Western Front. Educated at the University of Leeds (BA, MA) and King’s College London (PhD in War Studies), he has previously held chairs at King’s College London and the University of Birmingham.
Gary began his career teaching War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and later served as Land Warfare Historian on the UK's Higher Command and Staff Course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College. A prominent figure in the revisionist interpretation of Douglas Haig and the BEF, he is the author of influential works including Forgotten Victory and The Chief.
