On Thursday 21 May, I will be speaking at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast alongside historian Stephen Sandford.
Stephen’s talk explores the story of the London Irish Rifles within the wider history of London’s citizen soldiers during the First World War. It looks at how a volunteer battalion rooted in London’s civic life adapted to mobilisation and modern warfare, including its first experience of combat at the Battle of Loos in 1915.
The presentation also draws on the writings of Patrick MacGill, whose reflections as a soldier and writer offer a powerful working-class perspective on the war and how it was later remembered.
The event will run from 1 pm to 2 pm at PRONI in the Titanic Quarter.