Presentations
Presentations
Presentations
Peter offers a range of presentations to interested organisations
Peter offers a range of presentations to interested organisations
Coping with Death in the Trenches
How did the soldiers of the Great War cope with the omnipresence of death? Were they inevitably traumatised? Did they become inured to death? The talk explores these issues in relation to whether the prevalent attitudes of the period to death and emotional expression helped or hindered any process of adaptation.
Fear and Courage in Trench Warfare
Fear is natural in war, but the demand for courage is remorseless. What was the experience of the British soldier of fear, and were the social restrictions on its expression helpful or harmful? Similarly, did the traditional model of manliness and heroism prove something that was helpful to live up to? Were those born in the late Victorian era handicapped by expectations of behaviour, or did they possess an advantage in contrast to modern methods of dealing with stress?
Uncovering the Dead 1918-1939
Between the wars, a process bearing some similarity to modern battlefield archaeology was carried out to attempt to unearth the missing and bury them properly in IWGC cemeteries. How was this done? Who did it? What were their experiences? How successful was the endeavour?
The Infantry COs of the BEF August 1914
The British Army officer of the Edwardian era has been the subject of much criticism. So who were the men who took the battalions of the BEF to France and Flanders in 1914? How able were they? What was their experience? Are the criticisms of the pre-war army fair?
The Battle of the Selle
The Battle of the Selle is one of the forgotten battles of the Hundred Days campaign. Peter offers two talks:
Fourth Army at the Battle of the Selle 17-31 October 1918
This talk focuses on the effectiveness of the BEF’s ‘weapons system’ as the campaign progressed. The study of Fourth Army reveals how the balance of the contributions of all-arms would vary from battle to battle. The weather at the Selle denied the BEF intelligence from the air. Without great help from tanks, and an artillery that was much less effective than on other occasions, the infantry of Fourth Army fought a challenging battle in difficult countryside, reliant on the experience of front-line commanders.
The BEF in Mobile Warfare in the Hundred Days - The Pursuit to the Selle
This talk focuses on the so-called Pursuit to the Selle to consider whether the BEF were able to pursue mobile warfare in the Hundred Days campaign. How did they follow a retreating enemy, and how did the enemy place obstacles in the way? Was mobile warfare ever, in fact, achieved? Was an all-arms approach effectively employed? Were the enemy a defeated proposition in 1918, or were they able to effectively resist the BEF’s thrusts?
New presentations ...
Faith and Superstition in the Great War
This talk focuses on the role of faith superstition during the war in enabling soldiers to have a sense of control over their destinies and to mitigate stress.
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Evolving Meritocracy in the BEF
The British Army went to war with a cadre of officers who had been promoted largely on the basis of seniority. With the rapid promotion of junior officers and the influx of civilians, did a meritocracy establish itself? This talk focuses on the development of a skill-based partial meritocracy within infantry battalion command. Who were the men who commanded the infantry battalions of the BEF in 1918? What were their qualities and how were these developed?
In preparation ...
A Tale of Two Quadrilaterals
This talk will focus on the attack of 6th Division at the Quadrilateral, Ginchy, on the Somme in September 1916; and its attack on a similarly named defensive position in the Hindenburg outpost system exactly two years later.
Both attacks proved very difficult. This talk will contrast problems with the BEF's operational art in the light of the learning process.
