Lecture series marks 25 years of Contemporary Military History at Salford

Over the coming weeks and months, a number of lectures will be held across the University’s campuses from the programme’s previous lecturers and its talented alumni.

The lectures will cover research and insights that have been explored across the course’s 25 years and more contemporary events, namely the War in Ukraine, the Battle of Kobane between the Kurdish forces and ISIS and also the role that terrorist informers played in the Northern Ireland.

The anniversary series began on Wednesday 15 January with a lecture from Dr Krysten Blackstone, a Lecturer in International and Military History and student Jonathan Jeffries at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Their lecture, which is available to watch back, tells the stories of soldiers in the Continental Army who kept diaries as records of their service during the American Revolutionary War (April 1775 – September 1783).

It will continue on Wednesday 5 February in Chapman 6 as former CMIH student and lecturer Dan Lomas, now at the University of Nottingham, shares his observations on the role of intelligence within the War in Ukraine.

On Wednesday 19 February, Dr Samantha Newbery, a Reader in International Security, will address Chapman 5 about the roles of terrorist informers and formally launch her book Terrorist Informers in Northern Ireland. Professor Alaric Searle, a former CMIH programme leader, will then return to Salford on Wednesday 5 March to discuss The Battle of Kobane (September 2014 to January 2015) on Wednesday 5 March in Allerton A215.

Dr Simon Moody, another CMIH graduate, will then speak on Wednesday 19 March in Peel G10 on the role of the press and the ‘moral crusade’ against the British Army during the 1950s and finally, former CMIH lecturer Dr Jim Beach will then speak about the importance of military personnel records in Chapman 4 on Wednesday 23 April.

Dr Brian Hall, Programme Leader for BA Contemporary Military & International History, has organised the lectures to highlight the programme’s prowess over the last 25 years.

He said: “I’m proud of the fact that I was in the second cohort of this degree and now I’m the programme leader of this fantastic course which is only one of a handful of degree programmes on this subject at undergraduate level in the country.

“These lectures will show just how relevant this degree is and how important Salford has been to the continued interest of people in this country on the subject of history and military history. It still remains a very popular subject in 2025.

“From these lectures, the audience will learn just how important military history has been and will continue to be to help interpret the core contemporary issues of our time, such as ongoing terrorist activities and the War in Ukraine.”

Dr Hall is seeking to book further lectures on top of the original six with more to come next trimester and in the first trimester of the 2025/26 academic year.

You do not have to book to attend any of the lectures and all are free to attend.

• ‘A Record of Their Time: Diary sharing practices amongst soldiers in the Continental Army’
   
  • Dr Krysten Blackstone and Mr Jon Jeffries, University of Salford
  • Wednesday 15 January

  • Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. You can watch it back on YouTube. 

     

• 'Intelligence and the Ukraine War: Some Observations’
   
  • Dr Dan Lomas, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham
  • Wednesday 5 February
  • Chapman Lecture Theatre 6, Peel Park campus
  • 1.30pm to 3pm

• ‘Intelligence vs Law: Terrorist Informers in Northern Ireland’
   
  • Dr Samantha Newbery, Reader in International Security at the University of Salford
  • Wednesday 19 February
  • Chapman Lecture Theatre 5, Peel Park campus
  • 1.30pm to 3pm

• ‘The Battle of Kobane: The Kurds vs ISIS’
   
  • Professor Alaric Searle, Professor of History at the University of Potsdam and Academic Director, Head of Research and Deputy Commander at the Bundeswehr Centre for Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam
  • Wednesday 5 March
  • Allerton A215, Frederick Road campus
  • 1.30pm to 3pm

• ‘The Popular Press and the Moral Crusade against British Army Bull(****) in the 1950s’
   
  • Dr Simon Moody, Lecturer in Defence Studies at King’s College London
  • Wednesday 19 March
  • Peel G10, Peel Park campus
  • 1.30pm to 3pm

• ‘Falling Down Rabbit Holes: Why Military Personnel Records Matter for Intelligence History'
   
  • Dr Jim Beach, Senior Lecturer in 20th Century History at the University of Nottingham
  • Wednesday 23 April
  • Chapman Lecture Theatre 4, Peel Park campus
  • 1.30pm to 3pm