‘The First World War in Retrospect’ conference will be held at Weetwood Hall Conference Centre & Hotel, Leeds, England in 2014, to mark the Centenary of the conflict.
The organisers have stated that the Centenary “could hardly be a more opportune time for reconsideration of the factors which drew Britain into the war, the degree to which the Armed Forces, the Government and the Nation itself were prepared for what ensued”.
The conference has been planned by Dr Peter Liddle, Conference Director and Colonel Alan Roberts, Military Consultant for “like-minded enthusiasts and experts to listen, reflect, network and acquire a fresh perspective”.
Topics which are to be discussed include:
• Trails of gunpowder, the tinder box, the spark and the explosion.
• War readiness in Britain: The Royal Navy August 1914 – January 1915.
• War readiness in Britain: The regular army and the territorial force.
• Caught behind enemy lines at the outbreak of war: Internment for Britons at Ruhleben near Berlin and for Germans and their allies, on the Isle of Man.
• From Mons to the Christmas truce: Evidence from British and German junior officers and men in the ranks of their experience in the fighting in Belgium and France from August to the end of December, 1914.
• From rugby shirts into a new uniform: The sportsman’s response to the outbreak of war.
• The weapons of war: British and German infantry weapons
Further conferences will be held annually throughout the Centenary period.
The conference in 2014 will be held from 28th July – 1st August.
To find out more about the conference, visit the Weetwood website here.