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Military history events, exhibitions and experiences in 2022

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EXHIBITIONS

Black citizenship in the age of Jim Crow

Until 18 September 2022
National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, MO 64108
www.theworldwar.org/exhibitions/black-citizenship
+1 816 888 8100

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

By 1868, just over a decade after the end of the American Civil War, everyone born in the United States was – in theory – equal before the law. But efforts to create an interracial democracy were bitterly contested at state level, ushering in the age of Jim Crow. By the time the US entered the First World War in 1917, the majority of African American soldiers – nearly 80 per cent – were organised into supply, construction, or other non-combatant units. However, two predominantly African American combat divisions were formed that proved the battlefront capabilities of African American troops. This new exhibition charts their history amid the wider struggle for racial equality.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.

Alexander the Great: the making of a myth

21 October 2022-19 February 2023 British Library, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB www.bl.uk/events/alexander-the-great-the-making-of-a-myth +44 (0)1937 546546

Countless myths have proliferated around the figure of Alexander the Great in the 2,000 years since he built his empire. European, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures have all moulded him into the fictional hero they want him to be, capturing his image in astrological clay tablets, ancient papyri, and medieval manuscripts, as well as in Hollywood movies and video games. Even today, artists and storytellers are still trying to reimagine the man and the myth. This new exhibition at the British Library explores how his legacy turned into legend.

A Community at War

Until 5 September 2022
Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0M8
www.warmuseum.ca/militaryservice/

This exhibition charts the experiences of 22 black men and women from the Niagara region and south-western Ontario who served their country in uniform from the American Revolution to the present day. The broader experiences of black Canadians are explored through these individuals, who struggled against racial barriers both at home and overseas.

Malayan Emergency

Until 23 December 2022
The Green Howards Museum, Trinity Church Square, Richmond, North Yorkshire, DL10 4QN
https://greenhowards.org.uk/event/malayan-emergency/

The Green Howards regiment served in the jungle of Malaya between 1949 and 1952, battling against Chinese and Communist insurgents. This special exhibition, on display in the entrance to the museum, is being held to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of their deployment.

CONFERENCE

Meaning, Memory, and the (Mis-)Remembered Past

5-6 September 2022
RAF Museum London, Grahame Park Way, London, NW9 5LL
www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/whats-going-on/events/raf-museum-conference-meaning-memory-and-the-mis-remembered-past/
+44 (0) 20 8205 2266

This two-day conference brings together an interdisciplinary field of academics to present research that challenges the historical consensus. Specifically, the research seeks to reframe understanding of the history we ‘remember’, the history we ‘mis-remember’, and the history we have forgotten entirely. Also available to view online, the conference will feature a keynote address by Richard Toye, Professor of Modern History at the University of Exeter, entitled: ‘Bet you’re sorry you won!’: generations, authority, and honour in the public memory of the Second World War. Book online via the museum’s website.

Image: RAF Museum.

EXPERIENCE

Behind the Scenes Tour

26 November 2022
The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, BH20 6JG
https://tankmuseum.org/events/behind-the-scenes-tour/26-nov

This is an opportunity for tank enthusiasts to explore behind the scenes at one of the world’s most famous museums dedicated to armoured vehicles. A ticket will allow the holder inside the workshop and archive, and even into the bowels of a First World War tank. Extras such as hot meals, a complimentary souvenir guide-book, and an annual museum pass are also included.