Glasgow & West of Scotland Branch Programme 2024-25

All meetings are held at 11am on the second Saturday of the month at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church Observatory Road, Glasgow West End G12 9AR.

For any branch enquiries please telephone Marie Davidson on 0141 956 1172

 

12 October 2024

Emile L' Angelier, Madeline Smith’s lover

Prof Stephen Bowd, University of Edinburgh

Prof Bowd will speak on L’Angelier based on his new research. L’Angelier was the victim in the Madeline Smith case, Scotland’s most famous murder.

 

9 November 2024

1943 and Churchill's Soft Underbelly

Graeme Bowman, author and historian

Dr Graeme Bowman's talk on his recent book Empire First: Churchill's War v D Day

Following the 80th anniversary of D Day, we have heard much about D Day but how did it happen - the planning, politics and infighting?

 

14 December 2024

World War 1 Medical Advances

Tom Scotland

We had a series of talks about WW1 e.g. the casualties of the Somme. This talk however is different, being about what was positive and good that came out of the war.

 

11 January 2025

The Blitz

Marc Conaghan, Researcher

Marc Conaghan will cover the Glasgow and Clydebank Blitz and compare them. For the first time in centuries ordinary people find themselves in the front line.

This talk follows on from the Mowforth's talk several years ago on the letters between their father and their mother, one a talk commander at Alamein and one at the Sheffield blitz. Their talk was repeated for the ladies circle: Mrs Mowforth's war was their war. Many of us also lived through the blitz it was our war too so Marc will find him facing original sources.

 

8 February 2025

Ali Getty will talk on his research

Ally Getty will speak about his research into what happened to his great uncle shot by the Waffen SS 2 days before the end of the war - and how his family coped. His fine research has revealed an extraordinary story.

January's talk was about what happened to people during the War, this talk is about what happened afterwards.

Ally's talk is unique in that his research was prompted by hearing Tony Pollard's account of WW1 battlefield archaeology financed by the Australian gov.t, leading to proper funeral services for all the troops discovered and the closure that it gave to their descendants that attended.

 

8 March 2025

1919 George Square and how history is mythologised and abused by politicians

Dr Gordon Barclay, archaeologist and historian

Gordon Barclay’s talk will be based on his recent book Tanks on the Streets?: The Battle of George Square, Glasgow 19. This maybe a contentious talk as there are highly conflicting opinions.

 

Date & speaker TBC via Zoom

The Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War

Lastly we hope to hold a Zoom talk from New York and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Assoc. on the American brigadistas, especially Oliver Law probably the first black officer to command white troops since Severus.

Willy Maley's talk on the Scottish Brigadistas led to our interest in the other international brigades. Was choosing Oliver Law to command shows changing attitudes to race a precursor of the civil rights movement?