British Commission for Military History New Researchers’ Conference
Booking Details
Tickets may be obtained via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bcmh-new-researchers-conference-2021-tickets-139824872959
Postponed in 2020 due to Covid the eleventh BCMH New Researchers' Conference has been organised in association with the National Army Museum. It will showcase some of the current research being undertaken by postgraduate and early career historians in the field of military history.
The conference tooke place at the National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT Home | National Army Museum (nam.ac.uk).
It lasted from 10.00am to 5pm and was followed by a Drinks Reception from 5.15pm until 7.00pm.
The keynote was given by Professor Alaric Searle of the University of Salford Alaric Searle | University of Salford.
‘“Soldiers with stiff bodies”: rumours, stereotypes and the Chinese image of the British army during the First Opium War (1839-1842)’.
Programme as at 3 November 2021
Report
The 2021 New Researchers' Conference took place at National Army Museum (NAM) on Saturday 27th November. BCMH wishes to thank NAM and the Society of Military History (SMH) for their support. The event was our first face to face event since the Conference at Lancaster in November 2019 and then the AGM in February 2020.
We have therefore established that there is indeed an appetite for ftf events and that there are venues which will host us and we have a host for 2022.
About fifty people attended. This does not include a number of refunds due to dropouts for COVID, other illnesses or reasons. We lost two speakers in this way leaving 13 and very unfortunately our President was unable to attend having tested positive the day before.
All the papers were very well argued and presented.
Professor Alaric Searle’s keynote on Chinese perceptions of British troops during the First Opium War also represented his own new research.
The administrative and catering support from NAM was first class and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to network at lunch and the post-conference reception.
We are hopeful of holding our 12th Conference in Autumn 2022 but are considering whether we should bring the date forward slightly. If there is going to be a new strain of COVID every winter should we move it forward to, say, early-mid October?
