What do you do?
I am Professor of Modern History and Memory Studies at the University of Exeter. I’m primarily interested in the history of 19th and 20th century conflict and empire, how they were experienced at the time, their societal and political ramifications, and how they are remembered and understood in the present day.
Where do you live?
I am based on the University of Exeter’s beautiful Cornwall campus, just outside of Falmouth. Covid 19 has meant I’ve spent much of the past two years working from home supported ably by Mousehole (our cat) and (less ably) Socks, our lockdown puppy.
Which interests, personal or professional, link you to this project?
In all honesty, it was the opportunity to work with the fabulous Ann-Marie Einhaus again! We have known each other since we were undertaking our PhDs and were lucky enough to work together on another AHRC-funded project, ‘The First World War in the Classroom’ at the start of the centenary period. I’m also fascinated by the chance this project offers to continue my interest in ‘marginalised’ or ‘lesser known’ histories of conflict and how ordinary people record and narrate stories of conflict that matter to them and their families.
What kinds of ephemera would we find preserved in your home?
If you opened the cupboards in my house you would be flattened by a tsunami of photographs, greetings cards, and my children’s artwork. And an ever-increasing collection of Christmas ornaments for our tree that each tell a story of our journeys and travels over the years.
Do you have a favourite kind of historical ephemera?
This question has led me to think back to some of the archival research I’ve done over the years, and I’ve got quite nostalgic! I loved working in archives like the Liddle Collection, Leeds and the Imperial War Museum, Documents Collection that allowed me to read very personal and private material like letters and diaries. I felt privileged to be given a window into the world of these people who, while not the ‘big’ people of history like Kings and Queens, had left that footprint behind. I also always loved looking through photographs especially those that had notes written on the back that sometimes made sense to me as a historian but were often just very personal to the original owner of the picture.