Military History forum Windsor ON

[Waycool]

Hi All

Thought I would give a heads up of to an upcoming military/history conference in Windsor ONT.

Lee Palser, Windsor Star
Published: Thursday, January 05, 2006

Historian Jack Granatstein will highlight the first Windsor Military Studies Conference scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 at the Maj. F.A. Tilston VC Armoury.

Lt.-Col. Phil Berthiaume, commander of the Essex and Kent Scottish, said Wednesday the forum "is a great fit" with the region's rich military history and with plans to erect a new monument to the regiment in Dieppe next summer.

"Prof. Granatstein is one of the top in his field," said Berthiaume, who has been involved in the planning over the last several months.

He said the intention is to make the conference, sponsored by the Humanities Research Group (HRG) at the University of Windsor, the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment and the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies (LCMSDS), an annual event.

Mike Bechtoldt of the LCMSDS, said part of the impetus came from a speech at the University of Windsor last year by the centre's director, Terry Copp.

'A BIG SUCCESS'

"It was a big success and showed there is an audience for this type of program in the Windsor area," said Bechtoldt.

HRG director Kathleen McCrone gave full credit to LCMSDS for organizing the program, and said her interest was piqued by Copp's speech. It was a dinner with Berthiaume and Copp that sparked the idea for the conference, she said.

Copp, himself a well-known military historian, will also be speaking at the forum, as will Kevin Shackleton, who is just completing a history of the Essex and Kent Scottish that will explore the area's military history back to the earliest settlements in the area.

Copp's topic will be From Normandy to the Rheinland: The Infantry's War, while Shackleton will explore the role of the Essex Scottish at Dieppe.

Other speakers will tackle the 18th (Windsor) Battalion in the Great War; Lt.-Col. B.F. McDonald and Operation Atlantic; the Canadian Forces: The Last Decade and the future of military studies in Windsor.

The conference begins at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10 and continues Feb. 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.

HOW TO REGISTER

Registration fee (including lunch): $20 general admission; $10 student. Register by phone at 253-3000 ext. 3506 or ext. 3508; e-mail at hrgmail@uwindsor.ca or at the door. Registration without lunch is free.