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Chalke History Festival returns to the Wiltshire countryside this summer for a week of talks, performances, living history encampments, and more.
A star-studded lineup of speakers will explore a vast variety of topics, spanning ancient to modern history, including many subjects related to military history. MHM is pleased to be sponsoring a talk by author and historian N A M Rodger: drawing on The Price of Victory, the final instalment in his acclaimed trilogy on British naval history, Rodger will uncover five little-known episodes that were – or might have been – decisive in the Second World War.
Other confirmed speakers include Damien Lewis (see interview on p.66) on high-stakes SAS operations; Al Murray and James Holland, the co-hosts of the We Have Ways of Making You Talk podcast, on the sinking of the Bismark; Michael Livingston and Dan Jones on the Two Hundred Years War; WWII veteran Colin Bell on his missions as a Mosquito pilot; Saul David on Tunisgrad and the campaign in Africa; and Katja Hoyer on life in Weimar during the rise and reign of Hitler. A long list of distinguished names also includes Mary Beard, Tom Holland, Mary Berry, and Alan Titchmarsh.
Alongside these talks and discussions, visitors can immerse themselves in an array of historical events and re-enactments. This year, a team of artisans will be using ancient techniques, traditional knowledge, and heritage craft skills to reconstruct a late Iron Age Romano-British chariot. Elsewhere, audiences can view a replica 40ft Coastal Motor Boat, originally built in 1916 and designed to pass through a minefield to deliver an 18-inch Whitehead torpedo. Families can also step back in time to discover what it was like to be a soldier in the Roman army, a member of a 17th-century militia, or an SOE agent during WWII.
The festival runs from 22 to 28 June. Find the full programme and book tickets at http://www.chalkefestival.com.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Steve Chick
