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Military History events, exhibitions, and galleries in summer 2022

Festival

The Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival

20-26 June 2022
Broad Chalke, nr Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP5 5DP
www.cvhf.org.uk
+44 (0) 1722 781133

After a shortened version in 2021, the Chalke Valley History Festival returns this year for seven days full of historical entertainment, inspiring discussions, and family activities. Taking place at the beautiful Broad Chalke, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, this year’s festival sees the introduction of new features, such as the Speaker’s Corner tent, where visitors of all ages can listen to brief but still highly informative talks on a range of subjects. And there’s also plenty on the calendar to please military enthusiasts, including an event with wartime RAF Mosquito veterans. The full programme is available on the festival’s website.

Image: CVHF.

Exhibitions

Forever Changed: stories from the second world war

Until 5 September 2022
Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0M8
www.warmuseum.ca/foreverchanged/
+1 819 776 7000

Image: Canadian War Museum.

The stories of Canadians during the Second World War are extremely diverse. There was the parachutist, writing one last letter before being dropped into a deadly mission; the ‘bomb girl’, who was killed on a mission; and a prisoner of war, who turned to art to cope with his situation. Developed originally to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the conflict, and now closing in early September, Forever Changed brings together these stories, along with an array of personal artefacts, to take a closer look at the role of Canadians in the war.

The Intelligence Factory

Permanent
The Mansion, Bletchley Park, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK3 6EB
https://bletchleypark.org.uk
+44 (0) 1908 640404

Image: Bletchley Park.

During the latter half of the Second World War, Bletchley Park rapidly increased its workforce to a team of more than 9,000 people in order to meet operational demands. Staff worked day and night to process enemy communications into actionable intelligence that would ultimately help win the war. This brand new exhibition, The Intelligence Factory, looking specifically at the second half of the war, is now the largest exhibition space on site, situated in the newly refurbished (and previously inaccessible) Block A of the Bletchley complex.

WORTH CHECKING OUT

EXHIBITION

Falklands 40
Until 14 June 2022
Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ
www.iwm.org.uk/events/falklands-conflict-iwm-london
Free with general admission
This spring marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, the ten-week conflict between Britain and Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. The Imperial War Museum is commemorating the anniversary with a new exhibition.

ARCHAEOLOGY COURSE

King’s Lynn under Siege English Civil War archaeological project
w/c 17 and 24 July 2022
www.sharp.org.uk/product-page/king-s-lynn-under-siege-english-civil-war-archaeological-project
£235 (on site, full price)
The King’s Lynn under Siege (KLuS) archaeological project seeks to improve understanding of some of the most-sophisticated fortifications built anywhere during the English Civil War. Returning to the site this summer, KLuS offers the unique opportunity to explore these defences and make an important contribution to the study of 17th-century fortress warfare.

GALLERY

Saturday Evening Post Covers 1941-1946: the art of Mead Schaeffer, Norman Rockwell, and friends
Until 22 June 2022
Wright Museum of World War II, 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro, NH 03894
www.wrightmuseum.org, $14
Between 1941 and 1946, the covers of the Saturday Evening Post played host to the work of some of the finest artists of the period. Norman Rockwell, Mead Schaeffer, Stevan Dohanos, and others captured the American war with humour, pathos, and insight. This gallery includes 60 original covers from the Wright Museum’s collection.