2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the formal end of the Second World War. The Second World War Network (Scotland) will be marking this occasion by hosting a one-day colloquium which aims to capture the latest research on the war and bring together international scholars undertaking research on all aspects of this global conflict. The […]

With our colleagues at National Galleries Scotland, the Second World War Network (Scotland) is hosting an event exploring painting and exhibiting culture in Second World War Britain. Suzanne Bardgett, freelance writer and formerly Head of Research and Academic Partnerships at the Imperial War Museum, and Patricia Allerston, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, European and Scottish […]

In August 2023, Professor Wendy Ugolini, co-founder of the Second World War Network (Scotland), was awarded a large Arts and Humanities Research Council Research Grant for the three-year project, ‘Beyond Borders: The Second World War, National Identities and Empire in the UK’. Professor Ugolini acts as Principal Investigator for the project with Professor Martin Johnes […]

The Second World War Network (Scotland) is delighted to announce the launch of a mobile walking tour ‘Second World War Edinburgh’. Created with funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, researched by the Network, and developed by Curious Edinburgh, the tour highlights important sites in the history of the Second World War in Edinburgh.   […]

Over a gloriously sunny two days in Edinburgh, we hosted our joint conference with the Second World War Research Group. The keynote address by Dr Andrew Buchanan & Dr Ruth Lawlor, ‘Time to Murder and Create: Writing Histories of a Greater Second World War’,  can be found here:

We are delighted to announce the full programme for our upcoming conference, From the Personal to the Global: Lived Experiences of the Second World War.   Conference 2023 Expanded Programme     This summer, the Second World War Network (Scotland) and the Second World War Research Group are hosting a joint conference: From the Personal […]

In this public lecture, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Official Historian, George Hay, explored the Empire of the dead – the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Scotland, and the birth of modern commemoration.     [IMAGE COURTESY OF EMMA FORTH]     This event was hosted by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with National Museums […]

In November 2022, the network presented the inaugural ‘PGR Showcase’: a panel made up of PGRs working in the field of Second World War Studies. This panel aims to showcase new research on the Second World War currently being undertaken by PGRs and ECRs across the UK. The Showcase consisted of four 15-minute papers, providing […]

In November 2022, we hosted an evening celebrating Scottish war poetry. ‘Puir Bliddy Swaddies: Scottish Poets of World War II’ took place at 7pm GMT on Monday 14 November at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh. The event was followed by a drinks reception. The readings, in Scots, Gaelic, and English, showcased the […]

On 5th October 2022, the Second World War Network (Scotland) and the Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary History jointly hosted Professor Richard Overy to discuss his latest book, the New York Times bestseller and winner of the 2022 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History, Blood and Ruins: The Great Imperial War […]