Laurier Military History Speaker Series

Highly Recommended…

Marc Milner, University of New Brunswick
Date: November 8, 7:00 pm

“The Forgotten Gunners:  The Tale of Two Anti-Tank Batteries at War 1940-1945”

Little is known of the raising, training and operations of Canada’s anti-tank batteries in the Second World War.  Anti-tank guns typically operated dispersed on the battlefield and their actions are often subsumed in the dominant narratives of the units and formations they supported.  As part of the work on Loyal Gunners: 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (The Loyal Company) and the History of New Brunswick’s Artillery, 1893-2012 the story of two NB anti-tank batteries were rescued from obscurity.  The 103rd (Campbelton) Battery, equipped with 17-pdrs, operated as part of the 6th Anti-Tank Regiment which was the heavy anti-tank reserve held by II Canadian Corps in Northwest Europe, while the 105th (St George) Battery of 3rd Anti-Tank Regiment played a key role in supporting 3rd Canadian Division.  This talk will highlight their origins, changing roles and equipment, and their salient moments on the battlefield.

Mark Humphries, Wilfrid Laurier University
Date: November 16, 7:00 pm

“The Legacy of the Somme 100 Years On”

100 years on, the Battle of the Somme remains emblematic of the horror and futility that has become our memory of the First World War. Historian Mark Humphries will explore the legacy of the Battle of the Somme and the First World War more broadly in popular culture and the ways in which our conventional image of the Somme is at odds with the ways in which those who fought chose to remember the battle.

This is the second of three events which LCMSDS is organizing to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this pivotal moment in Canadian military history. The final event will take place two days later in the form of a concert organized in partnership with the Faculty of Music featuring several pieces of First World War music including Vaughan William’s 3rd (Pastoral) Symphony which he composed as a reflection on his experience on the Somme where he served with a British Field Ambulance.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Matt Baker, Senior Research Associate and Centre Coordinator
matt.baker@canadianmilitaryhistory.ca
(519) 884-0710 ext. 2080

Mailing Address
LCMSDS
Wilfrid Laurier University
75 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON, Canada
N2L 3C5

Physical Address
232 King St. N. Waterloo, ON

Business Hours
Monday to Friday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday to Sunday: Closed