Preliminary program of the 61e Congrès de l'Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française

The organizers of the 61e Congrès de l'Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française are holding the congress at the Université Laval in Quebec City from 23 to 25 October 2008. They've now posted their preliminary programme for the congress and it includes the following presentations of specific interest to students of Canadian military history:

Samedi 25 octobre :

Séance 25 : Histoires et mémoires de guerre

Présidence: Serge Bernier (DHP, ministère de la Défense nationale, Ottawa)

Florence Tilch (Université Laval), « L'impossible héroïsme : la mise en scène du volontaire franco-québécois dans les textes littéraires »

John MacFarlane (DHP, ministère de la Défense nationale, Ottawa), « La croix de Triquet »

Yves Tremblay (DHP, ministère de la Défense nationale, Ottawa), « Les soldats, les morts, l'histoire », and

Séance 28 : Récits mémoriels

(includes) Béatrice Richard (Collège militaire royal du Canada, Kingston), « L'influence de la Première Guerre mondiale sur l'oeuvre de Lionel Groulx ».

Call for Papers for the 14th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop

The Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre has issued a call for papers for the 14th Annual Air Force Historical Workshop, to be held on 24-25 September 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario. This year's workshop is titled "Maple Leaf Aloft: The Historical Dimensions of Canadian Air Power Leadership." As the poster notes:

The current security environment brings with it a broad range of challenges for leaders at all rank levels within the Canadian Air Force. Yet, many of these challenges are not new. Throughout our history, both at home and abroad, during peace and in combat, Canadian airmen and airwomen consistently demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity and accomplish their assigned missions both in the air and on the ground. Key to our successes has been air force leadership.

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the historical dimension of Canadian air power leadership in all of its facets. Topics may deal with an individual, command relationships, civil-military interaction, leadership in a coalition, peacetime / wartime leadership requirements, leadership training, etc. Topics need not be limited to flying operations. Individuals interested in presenting a paper should forward a short one or two paragraph proposal to Major Bill March prior to 21 June 2008. Notification of selection will be provided by 30 June 2008.

For further information contact Major Bill March at tel 613-392-2811 ext. 4656, at fax 613-965-2096 or by e-mail at march.wa@forces.gc.ca.

Program for the 19th Military History Colloquium

The program for the 19th Military History Colloquium, to be held at the University of Waterloo from 1 to 3 May 2008, has been issued. Papers include (in alphabetical order, not according to the schedule):

Russ Benneweis, "Training as per Syllabus: Readying the South Saskatchewan Regiment for War, 1939-1944";

Pat Brennan, University of Calgary, "Major-General David Watson: A Critical Appraisal of Canadian Military Leadership in the Great War";

Graham Broad, University of Western Ontario, "Rosie Reconsidered: Reassessing Canadian Women's Home-Front Employment in the Second World War";

Deb Bulmer, University of New Brunswick, "Lieutenant J. Chester MacRae, MC: The Civic Ethos of a Canadian Infantry Platoon Commander";

Neil Chuka, Department of National Defence, "An Overview of the CF's First COIN Doctrine";

Andrew Cogswell, University of New Brunswick, "'Mission Creep' and Mandate Enforcement: Command & Control in the CF in Former Yugoslavia, 1992-1995";

Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Fighting to the Last Canadian?: Casualties in 21st Army Group";

Sarah Cozzi, University of Ottawa, "Killing Time: Canadian Expeditionary Force in England, 1914-1916";

Rob Dienesch, University of Ottawa, "Limited War: A Re-Assessment";

Renald Fortier, Canadian Aviation Museum, "Montreal Newspapers and the Image of Aviation at War, March - November 1918";

Bertram C. Frandsen, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Air Transport - The Forgotten Dimension of Air Power";

Richard Goette, Queen's University, "The RCAF and U.S. Northeast Command";

John R. Grodzinski, Royal Military College of Canada, "Much To Be Desired: The Campaign Experience of British General Officers of the War of 1812";

Dorotea Gucciardo, University of Western Ontario, "Why drop bombs, when you can drop rattlesnakes?: Popular invention ideas from the Second World War";

Stéphane Guevremont, University of Calgary, "1938 - A Critical Year for Canadian Aircraft Manufacturers and the RCAF";

Ian Haight, University of New Brunswick, "Getting Troops to England: The Directorate of Movements and the Department of Munitions and Supply";

Tavis Harris, Wilfrid Laurier University, "C.P. Stacey and the Use of Oral Accounts in the Dieppe Narratives";

David Heidt, University of Waterloo, "The Making of a Peacemonger? Howard Charles Green in the First World War";

Richard Holt, University of Western Ontario, "Canadian Railway Workers in Northern Russia, 1915";

Andrew Iarocci, Canadian War Museum, "From Iltis to Nyala: The Evolution of Canadian Forces Utility Vehicles";

Paul Johnston, Department of National Defence, "Continuities in the Evolution of Tactical Air Power: WWI to the Present";

Sheila Johnston, "The Shrieking Sister: Venereal Disease in the Victorian Military";

David Kielstra, St. Jerome's University, University of Waterloo, "NATO's Thorn, Canada's Opportunity: Canadian Decision-making during the First Cyprus Crisis, 1963-64";

Bjorn Lagerlof, University of New Brunswick, "Diefenbaker and UN Peacekeeping";

Craig Leslie Mantle, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, "An Auspicious Start: The Leadership of S.V. Radley-Walters during the Second World War";

William A. March, Royal Military College of Canada, "The Conquering Leaf: Canadian Occupation Forces in Germany, 1945-46";

Eugene Miakinkov, University of Waterloo, "Can conventional forces prevail in the age of asymmetry? The case of Chechnya, 1994-2001";

Aaron Miedema, "Bayonets and Blobsticks: The Canadian Experience of Close Combat in the Great War";

Lori Maziarz, Wilfrid Laurier University, "An Assessment of the South Alberta and Algonquin Regiments in Phase Four of Operation Blockbuster";

Michael S. Neiberg, The University of Southern Mississippi, "The Second Battle of the Marne: Turning Point of 1918";

same, "Towards a Transnational History of the First World War";

Gareth Newfield, Canadian War Museum, "Beyond Tiger Dunlop: British Army Medical Operations in Upper Canada during the War of 1812";

Jeff Nilsson, University of Waterloo, "The Power to Influence: Junior Leadership in the Canadian Corps during the First World War";

Jeff Noakes, Canadian War Museum, "The Mercedes and the Museum: Presenting a Problematic Artifact";

Alan Parrington, University of Denver, "Outbreak of World War I: A Philosophical Perspective";

Andrea Quaiattini, University of Ottawa, "From Headline to Sidebar: Canadian Media Portrayal of the Korean War, 1950-1953";

John Rickard, University of New Brunswick, "We Were Adrift: McNaughton and the Training of the Formation Commanders, 1940-1941";

J. Andrew Ross, University of Western Ontario, "Arenas of Debate: Hockey and the Second World War in Canada and the United States";

Roger Sarty, Wilfrid Laurier University, "'To be or not to be politically correct': C.P. Stacey and the Writing of Military Problems of Canada, 1938-40";

Simon Theobald, University of Ottawa, "A False Sense of Equality: The Recruitment of Black Canadians in the Second World War";

Robert Thompson, "'We Need You!': The Coast Artillery Corps on the Western Front, 1917-1918";

Nicolas G. Virtue, University of Western Ontario, "Italiani brava gente? Italian Occupation on the Eastern Front, 1941-43";

Michael Whitby, Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence, "'Doin' the Biz': Canadian Submarine Patrol Operations Against Soviet SSBNs, 1983-1987";

Brent Wilson, University of New Brunswick, "The Rise and Demise of a CEF Infantry Battalion: The 236th Overseas Battalion (New Brunswick Kilties); and

Michael J. Wong, University of Western Ontario, "The memorization and commemoration of the soldiers of C Force who fought in the Battle of Hong Kong".

Call for Papers on "War and Peace in Canadian History" Conference

The 2008 annual conference of the British Association for Canadian Studies History Group is scheduled to take place at Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London, England, on Friday, 11 July 2008, under the theme of "War and Peace in Canadian History". The one-day conference is open to anyone interested in Canadian history and is expected to include scholars from Canada, Great Britain and the United States. Proposals for papers twenty minutes in length are welcome on any aspect of the conference's theme. The press release notes: "It is anticipated that topics will range from the very broad, e.g. peacekeeping in Canadian history to the quite specific, e.g. Canada's current role in Afghanistan. Proposals relating to Quebec will be especially welcome in view of the 400th anniversary this year of the founding of Quebec City. Proposals relating to other anniversaries, e.g. the Munich agreement of 1938, will also be welcome." The deadline for submissions is 30 April 2008 and should be a maximum of 300 words plus curriculum vitae. Registration will be free for presenteres, and 20 Pounds for other attendees. The point of contact is Tony McCulloch, Director of Canadian Studies, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1QU, by e-mail at tony.mcculloch@canterbury.ac.uk.

Conference on « la guerre et la ville »

A call for papers has been issued for a conference on « la guerre et la ville » to be held at the Université du Québec à Montréal on 13 November 2008. The release goes in to great detail about the conference:

Tout au long des siècles, l'histoire des guerres est associée à celle des villes. Lors de conflits, les cités sont souvent le lieu de refuge des populations. Par le développement d'infrastructures défensives ou le casernement de troupes, la guerre marque de son emprunte la cité en lui léguant, entre autres, des infrastructures militaires qui peuvent influencer son urbanisme et sa forme urbaine.

Le milieu urbain peut souffrir de la guerre, soit parce qu'il constitue un enjeu de conquête ou encore parce qu'il représente une aire de résistance à éliminer ; Québec en 1759, Washington en 1814 et Sarajevo dans les années 1990 en sont trois exemples. Lorsque la guerre se déroule en ville, l'espace urbain est réputé plus meurtrier pour les soldats, les obligeant, par exemple, à développer des tactiques spécifiques à ce contexte. La guerre a également des effets sur les frontières politiques, dont celles des villes (Berlin, après 1945 - Jérusalem, après 1948, etc.), ainsi que sur les populations qui les habitent.

Même lorsque les populations urbaines des pays en guerre se trouvent loin des conflits, leur vie est affectée par ceux-ci. Les restrictions (rationnement, pratiques de consommation, etc.), la mobilisation pour le soutien à l'effort de guerre (les industries de guerre, leurs travailleurs et leurs logements, les organismes d'assistance publique, etc.) et la présence des soldats sont des éléments qui modifient la vie sociale (culturelle, loisirs, etc.) et les comportements urbains. En temps de guerre, la ville est un lieu d'expression (manifestations patriotiques, etc.), de contestation et de débats publics sur la guerre (crises de la conscription, émeutes, manifestations anti-guerre, etc.).

Enfin, la ville est un lieu de mémoire et de commémoration de la guerre. On y retrouve des monuments (dédiés aux soldats, à une bataille, etc.), on y célèbre des héros militaires, on y parade (défilés militaires, etc.) et on s'y souvient (célébration du jour du Souvenir, etc.). La ville abrite aussi des musées militaires, des anciens ouvrages militaires devenus lieux patrimoniaux, une toponymie rappelant des événements et des personnes liées à la guerre qui marquent, par leur présence, la trame urbaine.

L'objet de ce colloque est de mettre en lumière la question de l'implication de la ville dans la guerre, mais aussi de l'impact de la guerre dans la ville. Les communications traitant de cette problématique pour le Québec et le Canada, ainsi que celles traitant d'autres aires géographiques à travers le monde, depuis l'Europe moderne jusqu'à nos jours, sont les bienvenues. Les résultats de ces échanges offriront certainement des possibilités de comparaison stimulantes et permettront d'enrichir la réflexion sur cette thématique.

Hosted by la Chaire Hector-Fabre d'histoire du Québec and le Laboratoire d'histoire et de patrimoine de Montréal, the organizers request submissions via e-mail before 28 April 2008, consisting of a title and presentation abstract of 250 words maximum, as well as a biographical note. E-mail submissions are to be sent to Isabelle Bisson-Carpentier or Mourad Djebabla at chaire-hector-fabre@uqam.ca.

Programme for the 87th Meeting of the Canadian Historical Association

The Canadian Historical Association has published the programme for its 87th Annual Meeting, to be held at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, from 2 to 4 June 2008. The programme includes the following presentations of note to those interested in Canadian military history:

Andrew Burtch, Carleton University / Canadian War Museum, "Selling Canada: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation International Service, the Cold War, and Psychological Warfare, 1950-1970";

Mike Carroll, Grant McEwen College, "From National Self-Interest to International Peace: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force";

Christian Champion, McGill University, "Colonial masculinities, military intellectuals, and the construction of national sentiment, 1925-29" (in category titled "Masculinity and Canadian Politics");

Tim Cook, Carleton University / Canadian War Museum, "Antiheroes, Soldiers' Culture and Negotiations of Power among Canadian Soldiers in the Great War";

Helen Dewar, University of Toronto, "Canada or Guadeloupe?: Conceptions of Empire in French and British Discussions of Peace Terms during the Seven Years' War";

Mark Humphries, University of Western Ontario, "On the Border of Cowardice: Defining Deviance during the Great War";

Chris Madsen, Royal Military College of Canada / Canadian Forces College, "Organizing a Wartime Shipyard: The Union Struggle for a Closed Shop at West Coast Shipbuilders Limited 1941-44";

Craig Leslie Mantle, University of Calgary, "Negotiating the Parameters of Power: Disobedience in the Canadian Expeditionary Force";

Colin McCullough, York University, "'No Axe to Grind in Africa': Violence, Racial Prejudice and Media Depictions of the Canadian Peacekeeping Mission to the Congo, 1960-1964";

Francine McKenzie, University of Western Ontario, "Peacemaking before the Second World War: Canadian Intervention in the Ethiopian Crisis of 1935";

Victor Rabinovitch, Canadian Museum of Civilization, "The Bomber Command Controversy and the Canadian War Museum: Perspectives of a Museum Administrator";

Kevin Spooner, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Race, (De)Colonization, and Canadian Peacekeeping in the Congo";

Meryn Stuart, University of Ottawa, "Military Nursing Sisters and Sexuality: The Letters and Diaries of F.W.W. Nurse Helen Fowlds";

as well as the business meeting of the Canadian Committee on Military History.

75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History

The draft program for the 75th Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History, to be held at Weber State University from 17 to 19 April 2008, has been posted online. Much to chose from, many very interesting looking sessions and papers. With respect to scheduled presentations in the field of Canadian military history, the pickings are pretty slim, but include:

Alexander Herd, University of Calgary, "Normative Rules, Pragmatic Rules: The Intellectual Development of Canadian Army Training from the Second World War to the Korean War";

Roch Legault, Royal Military College of Canada, "Confrontation in the Making: The Path to Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Lower Canada, 1821-1837"; and

Tabitha Marshall, Memorial University of Newfoudland, "Frontier Health: British Soldiers at Forts Niagara, Detroit and Michilimackinac during the American Revolution".

19th Military History Colloquium at the University of Waterloo

The call for papers for the 19th Military History Colloquium has been issued by the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, the Department of History of the University of Waterloo, and the Department of History of St. Jerome's University. This year's conference will be held at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, from 1 to 3 May 2008. The topics for proposals can range widely through the breadth of Canadian military history and can cover all aspects of the subject. All scholars are welcome to submit proposals for papers, but grad students and recent grads are "especially encouraged to submit". One-page proposals should be submitted to Mike Bechthold via e-mail at mbechthold@wlu.ca by fax at 519-886-5057 or by snail mail at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario. The deadline for proposals is 22 February 2008.

Conference on the Seven Years' War

The Omohundro Institute of Early American History, Niagara University, and Brock University, are preparing to host a conference titled "Contest for Continents: The Seven Years' War in Global Perspective" from 22 to 24 October 2009 "to examine the Seven Years' War (the French and Indian War, 1754-1763) as a global conflict." As the press release continues,

With nearly one million battlefield deaths and fighting on four continents and in three oceans, the Great War for Empire stands as the first world war. The conference will address the conflict as one that transcended the national and imperial categories that have traditionally been used to evaluate it. The object is to study the war both globally, involving North America, South Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, West Africa, and the Philippines, and in transnational perspective, including its military, diplomatic, political, cultural, economic, and social aspects.

The organizers are seeking to have a conference crossing multiple disciplines, nationalities, and imperial boundaries "and will welcome paper proposals from a variety of disciplines and scholarly approaches." Sessions of the conference will be held on the university campuses of Brock (St. Catharines, Ontario), Niagara (Niagara Falls, New York), and Old Fort Niagara (Youngstown, New York).

Proposals for papers are invited from "advanced graduate students as well as more more senior scholars" for both complete panels and individual papers "on any aspect of the Seven Years' War in any of its theaters, especially submissions that treat the war thematically across geographic boundaries." The organizers stress that the geographic element includes North America, Eastern and Central Europe, and South Asia. Submission details from the organizers: "To apply, send a 500-word synopsis of your proposal along with a short c.v. to ieahc1@wm.edu, as an attachment in MS Word. You may direct questions to program co-chairs Thomas A. Chambers (chambers@niagara.edu) and David Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (dschimme@brocku.ca). The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2008."

Quebec City conference on the military history of the St. Lawrence River and Gulf

The Collège militaire royal du Canada and Musée Naval du Québec are working together to produce a Colloque francophone d'histoire militaire on "Le Saint-Laurent en guerre (1608-2008)". As the ad for the conference notes:

Ce colloque propose de revisiter les 400 ans d’histoire militaire du fleuve et de son golfe. Il s’agit ici d’inscrire le Saint-Laurent dans le temps long, d’en explorer les rythmes, les ruptures comme les continuités à travers des thèmes tels que les enjeux géopolitiques et stratégiques, les opérations militaires, les systèmes et les politiques de défense, les conflits armés comme moteurs de développement économique, les représentations et les lieux de mémoires. La plupart de ces aspects, non exhaustifs, peuvent être traités dans le contexte de toutes les époques et dans des perspectives pluridisciplinaires et /ou comparatives.

Submission of presentation proposals are welcomed: "Prière de faire parvenir vos propositions de communication par courriel, avant le 1er mai 2008. Celle-ci doit comporter 250 mots maxima, incluant la problématique et la thèse proposée, et indiquer le titre de la communication. Veuillez également faire parvenir un bref cv (une page) indiquant vos coordonnées complètes, vos intérêts de recherches et publications ou réalisations récentes. Adresser le tout à Béatrice Richard: beatrice.richard@rmc.ca"

3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference

There has been a change to one of the presentations at this conference (Hayes vice Copp), so I'm posting a revised version:

The 3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference is to be held at the Major F.A. Tilson, VC Armoury, 4007 Sandwich Street, Windsor, Ontario, on 15-16 February 2008.

Dr. Desmond Morton will begin the conference with the keynote address on "The Final 100 Days". Dr. Geoffrey Hayes will speak on "Rethinking Vimy Ridge: 90 Years On", while Dr. Susan Mann will deliver "War and the Making of Maj Margaret Macdonald". Switching gears, Lieutenant-Colonel David L. Bashow will speak on "The Canadian War Museum and the Bomber Command Controversy" and Major Ron Miller will lead a panel discussion on "Current Canadian Operations".

"Women, Armies, and Wars" international colloquium

The Saint-Jean campus of The Royal Military College of Canada, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, is hosting an international colloquium called "Women, Armies, and Wars" / « Les femmes, les armées et les guerres » on 8-9 November.

The Maple Leaf / la feuille d'érable notes:

This multidisciplinary meeting will have speakers from various fields of expertise and background experience, Canadian and European militaries, as well as Canadian, European and African researchers, who will present papers on a common theme, the place, role, and experience of women within armed forces or in armed conflict.

[...] Le colloque réunira des participants et des conférenciers issue de disciplines et de champs d'expérience variés. Des militaires canadiens et européens ainsi que des chercheurs canadiens, européens et africains deront des présentations sur la place, sur le rôle et sur l'expérience des femmes au sein des armées ou en temps de guerre.

Among the papers to be presented are a few specifically focusing on Canadian military history, including:

BGen Christine T. Whitecross, Commander Joint Task Force North / Commandante de la Force opérationelle interarmées (Nord), "Women in the Military - A Personal Perspective";

Karen Davis, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute / Institut de leadership des Forces canadiennes, "Public Discourse and the Warrior Paradigm: Canadian Casualties in Afghanistan, 2006"; and

Major Heather Macquarrie, Directorate of Human Rights and Diversity / Direction des droits de la personne et diversité, DND / MND, "Gender Integration in the Canadian Forces, 1970-2007".

13th Annual Air Force Historical Conference

The press release for the 13th Annual Air Force Historical Conference, 3-5 July 2007, at the Canadian Forces College, 215 Yonge Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario, has been released. Sponsored by the Canadian Forces Aerospace Warfare Centre (www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/cfawc/cdd/historical_conference/hist_conf_e.asp) and supported by the Officer of Air Force Heritage and History, 1 Canadian Air Division Headquarters, Winnipeg, Manitoba, the theme of this year's conference is "Flea Hunting: The Historical Dimension of Air Power and Counterinsurgency Warfare". As the release notes:

"With the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, counterinsurgency (COIN) warfare is very much a 'hot' topic of discussion within defence circles. There is a growing body of literature devoted not only to current theatres of combat, but also predicting that COIN-type operations will dominate warfare in the near future. If true, air power practitioners will need to explore COIN warfare in all of its dimensions: past, present and future. The rigorous study of air power as it applies to COIN was never a constant priority for the air power community; it waxed or waned depending on the current war or organizational goals. Perhaps the only constant has been that whenever air power was available, it was employed, or misemployed, in COIN conflicts throughout history. It is doubtful that this will change in the future; therefore, the onus is on us to learn from the past."

Speakers for the conference include several experts from the Canada, the United States and Great Britain. For registation or additional information, visit the conference website or contact either Major Bill March (tel 613-392-3811 ext 4656 or march.wa@forces.gc.ca) or Captain Lynn Lacroix (tel 613-392-2811 ext 4387 or lacroix.lv@forces.gc.ca).

Media frenzy

Well, in my mind today was a media frenzy.

First, a bit of background. As I've noted in a previous post, and has been mentioned elsewhere (see my link), I'm one small part of the DND team involved in identifying Private Herbert Peterson, 49th Battalion, CEF, from remains found near Avion, France, in 2003. As the time for the interment of Pte. Peterson in La Chaudière Military Cemetery approaches (during the Vimy commemorative activities in April), media interest in how the team was able to identify him has risen.

I was interviewed twice today (certainly a personal record) on my role in the process. First, an hour long taped interview by Ms. Jessica Brando of CBC Radio One's The Current for a piece they're preparing for air on or about April 9. How much of the stuttering historian (an apt description of me, if I've ever written one) survives the cut and makes it on to the final show, who knows). This afternoon I was interviewed over the phone by Ms. Katherine Harding with the Edmonton office of The Globe and Mail for a story they're doing tomorrow.

All pretty exciting, tense and exhausting for someone like me. Hopefully, it will help provide more light on what we're trying to accomplish in such cases and, more importantly, the sacrifices made by men such as Pte. Peterson during the world wars.

In my e-mail basket tonight came more information from Mike Bechthold (mbechtho@wlu.ca), Communications Director at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. This was in respect to the upcoming 18th Military History Colloquium to be held at Wilfrid Laurier University from 3 to 5 May 2007. The preliminary programme for the colloquium is out, and is very, very impressive. Here's a more or less complete rundown:

Thursday, May 3

Public keynote address by Marc Milner, University of New Brunswick, "In Search of the Lost Battalion: The North Shore Regiment from D-Day to Carpiquet."

Friday, May 4

Session 1 (Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Guy Simonds and the Art of Command: Operation ‘Wallstreet.’")

Session 2, Panel A - Canada and the Great War (I) (Pat Brennan, University of Calgary, "Certain Failure: The Destruction of the 11th and 12th Canadian Infantry Brigades on 2 September 1918"; Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum, "Leaning Virgins, Crucified Soldiers, Cannibalistic Deserters, and Dead Companions: The Belief System of the Canadian Great War Trench Soldiers"; Andrew Iarocci, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Battlefield Technology in the Popular Press, 1914-1918")

Session 2, Panel B - The Canadian Navy (Richard O. Mayne, Department of National Defence, "Birth of the Iroquois: Canadian destroyer design 1963-65"; Craig Leslie Mantle, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, "Challenged on the Sea: Some Leadership Experiences of Canadian Navy Personnel during Operation APOLLO")

Session 3, Panel A - The Canadian Air Force (Bertram C. Frandsen, Wilfrid Laurier University, "The role of the bomber in the RCAF in the post-1945 period."; Matthew Trudgen, Queen’s University, "Balancing Sovereignty and Security: The Interplay of Different Conceptions of the Canadian National Interest and the Formation of the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD)"; Patrick Dennis, Canadian Forces, ret’d, "NATO AWACS: Alliance Keystone for “Out of Area” Operations"; William March, Royal Military College of Canada, "Bombs Away! - Canadian Air Power in the Kosovo Air Campaign")

Session 3, Panel B - The Impact of the Great War (Gordon Greavette, Conestogo College, "The Significance of the Canadian Shell Committee"; Beth Sneyd, Royal Military College of Canada, "Just out of the mud and stench and obscenity of the trenches: Great War Veterans in the postwar works of L.M. Montgomery"; Serge Durflinger, University of Ottawa, "Veterans with a Vision: The Rehabilitation of Canada’s War Blinded of the First World War."; Liane Leddy, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Soldier Settlement?: The Nipissing Reserve and Civil Re-Establishment After the Great War") - Tour of Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, Ontario - Dinner - Main Hangar - Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - Keynote address, Lee Windsor, University of New Brunswick, "Attack on the Gothic Line: The Long Right Flank of the Normandy Breakout"

Saturday, May 5

Session 4, Panel A - Military History as Public History (Andrew Burtch, Canadian War Museum, "The History behind the Headlines: the War in Afghanistan as Public History"; Jeff Noakes, Canadian War Museum, "Canada Under Attack: The Battle of the St. Lawrence Comes to the Ottawa River"; Amber Lloydlangston, Canadian War Museum, "In Search of ‘In Search of Peace’: Developing a Major In-House Exhibition in the CWM")

Session 4, Panel B - Canada and Great War (II) (Heather Moran, University of Western Ontario, "Clearing from the Front: The Evolution of Casualty Evacuation by the Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War"; Maarten Gerritsen, Memorial University, "What We Are is Just What we Think: Canada’s Great War Soldiers in France and England"; Martin F. Auger, Department of National Defence, "Rebellion in Quebec: Canadian Military Intervention during the Easter Riots of 1918"

Session 5, Panel A - Canada and the Second World War (Chris Case, University of Ottawa, "Was Canada’s ‘Fightin’est’ General a ‘people person?’: Christopher Vokes and the Art of ‘Team-Building.’"; Russ Benneweis, University of Calgary, "Training for War: The case of the South Saskatchewan Regiment"; Matt Symes, Wilfrid Laurier University, "The 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade in Normandy: One Brigade, Three Memories"; Vanessa McMackin, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Constructing a Memory: The Significance of the Memorial to Executed Prisoners of War at the Abbaye D’Ardenne")

Session 5, Panel B - Canada at War in the 20th Century (Andrew B. Godefroy, Directorate of Land Concepts and Doctrine, Canadian Army, "Bad JuJu and Bush Warfare: Canadians Fighting in West Africa, 1896-1906"; Stephen Burgess-Whiting, University of Guelph, "Class War In Spain: The King Government, Non-Intervention and Canadian support for the Spanish Republic"; Ed Storey, Department of National Defence, "The Soldiers Burden” - A Look at 20th Century Canadian Load Carrying Equipment."

Session 6 - Plenary - Canadian Military Historiography: State of the Art (James Wood, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Readings in Canadian Military Culture: A Review of Militia Periodicals before the Great War"; Mark Osborne Humphries, University of Western Ontario & John Maker, University of Ottawa, "The Other Side of the Hill: Towards an understanding of the German army in the First World War"; Kathryn Rose, Wilfrid Laurier University, "A History of Service to the Canadian Army: The Fort Frontenac Library"; Lee Windsor, University of New Brunswick, "Reflections of an embedded historian in Afghanistan").

Call for papers for UVic Military Oral History Conference

The History Department at the University of Victoria has issued a call for papers for its Military Oral History Conference to be held from 21 to 23 February 2008. As the press release notes:

"The intention of the conference is to bring together senior undergraduate and graduate students, academics and veterans working in a variety of fields in military history in order to foster discussion in a multidisciplinary environment. Papers addressing all facets of military history which rely heavily upon oral history will be considered. This includes, but is not limited to, the writing of popular military history, official history, operational history, military families and the home front, First Nations, Military Medicine, records management and archival preservation. Proposals are welcome from all scholars, but senior undergraduate and graduate students are especially encouraged to submit. We also encourage submissions from community scholars, independent scholars, archivists and librarians working in the field. We encourage a broad interpretation of the conference theme from a variety of fields and backgrounds. Panel submissions will be considered. Possibilities include, but are not limited to: Memory - Historiography and Historical Theory - Military History - Cultural Records Management / Archives - Popular Military History - Aboriginal - Military Families - Military Medicine. Proposals should not exceed 250 words and should be accompanied by a short biographical sketch. The proposal must outline how it fits with the conference theme i.e., military oral history. The deadline for submissions is 15 November 2007."

The organizers also note that student subsidies, to help lower travel costs to the conference, are available. Proposals should be submitted to Dr. Shawn Cafferky, Department of History, University of Victoria, PO Box 3045, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P4 or by e-mail to shawncaf@uvic.ca. For further information, contact Dr. Cafferky (telephone 250-721-7287) or Dr. David Zimmermann at dzimmerm@uvic.ca or 250-721-7399.

Call for session partners for French Indochina war conference

Dr. Magali Deleuze (deleuze-m@rmc.ca), Département d'histoire / Department of History, at Le Collège militaire royal du Canada / The Royal Military College of Canada has issued the following:

"J’aimerais organiser une session sur « La guerre d’Indochine (1945-1954) et le monde » à la conférence de l’ESSHC (à Lisbonne, Portugal en mars 2008, http://www.iisg.nl/esshc ). Je proposerai une communication sur le Canada, le Québec et la guerre d’Indochine (les réactions du gouvernement et de la population). [...] Date limite pour soumettre des projets : 20 Mars 2007" / "I would like to organize a session on 'The French Indochina War (1945-1954) and the World' at the ESSHC [European Social Science History Conference] conference (Lisbon, Portugal, March 2008, www.issg.nl/esshc). I will propose a paper on 'Canada, Quebec and the French Indochina War (government and people's reactions)'. Interested? [...] Deadline to propose session or paper: 20 March 2007."

Preliminary Programme for 2007 CHA Conference

The Canadian Historical Association has posted the preliminary programme for its 86th Annual Meeting, scheduled for 28-30 May 2007 at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. The programme's Canadian military history-related content includes the following presentations:

• Claire Campbell, "Hinge of a Nation or Bone of Contention: The Battle over Reconstructing Old Fort William";
• Lyle Dick, "Sergeant Masumi Mitsui and the Japanest Canadian War Memorial: Intersections of National, Cultural, and Personal Memory";
• Sarah Glassford, "'...a great privilege to serve the Empire': Female Imperialism and the Canadian Red Cross during the Boer War";
• Robert J. Harding, "Myth, Memory, and Applicability: Newfoundland's Cultural Memory of the Attack at Beaumont Hamel, 1916-1945";
• P. Whitney Lackenbauer, "The Canadian Rangers and Northern Security: A Living History";
• John S. Long, "Private Fred Moore: A Cree in the Royal Canadian [Army] Service Corps during World War Two";
• Chris Madsen, "From Paardeberg to Liliefontein: Major-General Smith-Dorrien and the Canadians in South Africa";
• Keith Mercer, "On the Impress Service: The History of Guard Boats in St. John's, Newfoundland, 1775-1815";
• James M. Pitsula, "Manly Heroes: The University of Saskatchewan and World War I";
• Myra Rutherdale, "DEW Line Doctors and Alaska Highway Nurses: Medical Encounters in Canadian Arctic Communities, 1945-70";
• Amy Shaw, "Reluctant Rebels: Masculinity and Conscientious Objection in the First World War"; and
  
• Nathan Smith, "'We say to you men of Toronto': Great War Veterans Propaganda in 1917 Toronto".

Draft program for the 2007 Society for Military History Conference

The draft program for the Society of Military History Conference for 2007, "Crossroads of War", has been posted on the society's website. This year's conference will take place at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center, in Frederick, Maryland. Amongst the staggering array of subjects and papers being delivered, there are a few of direct Canadian military history interest: Jody Perrun, University of Manitoba, will be speaking on "A Very Popular War: Winnipeg, 1939-1945" (during the "World War II on the Home Front" session); Holger Herwig, University of Calgary, will be speaking on "Slaughter in Paradise: The Nazi Assault on Allied Oil in the Caribbean 1942-1943" (during the "World War II Submarine Warfare" session); and Glenn Leonard, University of New Brunswick, will be speaking on "Escalation and Intensification: The Rise of Scientific Management and the Experience of the Great War in Canada" (during the "Military-Industrial Relations, 1880-1920" session). Michael Whitby, Directorate of History and Heritage, will also be chairing and commenting on the session "On the Threshold of Modern Technology: Anti-Submarine Warfare at the End of WWII".

60th Congress of l'Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française

I came across the following call for proposals recently: "Appel de communications - Séances sur la Première Guerre mondiale dans le cadre du 60e Congrès de l'IHAF.

Dans le cadre du 60e Congrès de l'Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique françasise (IHAF) qui se tiendra à l'automne 2007 au Collège militaire royal de Kingston, la Chaire Hector-Fabre d'histoire du Québec organisera des séances sur l'histoire militaire qui s'inséreront dans le Congrès. M. Serge Bernier, directeur de la Direction Histoire et patrimoine, assurera le lien avec le Comité organisateur du Congrès de l'IHAF.

La thématique que nous lançons est large et, en s'incrivant dans le thème général du Congrès portant sur "Nos combats : les affirmations, les engagements et les actions", elle concernera la Première Guerre mondiale (1914-1918).

Merci de parvenir par courriel, avant le 1er mars 2007, votre proposition de communication de 200 mots maximum présentant votre problématique ainsi que le titre de votre communication. Veuillez également nous faire parvenir une courte notice biographique vous concernant (10-15 lignes). Adresse courriel : chaire-hector-fabre@uqam.ca.

CFP for War and Security Conference at the U of Calgary

The Society for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary has announced its ninth annual student conference, "War and Security: The Costs of Conflict", for 2-3 March 2007 at the University of Calgary. As the news release notes: "This conference is dedicated to facilitating discussion, debate and contributions to the knowledge of military, security and historical events that have influenced the international arena. Students are given a multidisciplinary forum within which they can engage academic, military and corporate communities dedicated to the study of these important topics." Among the suggested topics are "Conflict throughout History", NATO, the UN, "Peacemaking and Peacekeeping", "Warfare in Literature", and several others which could have military history content. The release also states: "This list is by no means exhaustive. Original ideas are encouraged." The deadline for paper proposals from undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines is 20 December 2006 (proposals limited to 250 words - presentations 15 minutes in length). The Society's e-mail address is stratnet@ucalgary.ca.