It's worth reading both the essay and, more importantly, the detailed and reasoned response from this student's tutors 👇

This is the most alarming story I’ve read today. Giving up the fight before it’s started

The whole idea that studying the history of a country constitutes an attack on the history of a country is deeply deeply stupid.

#HistBookChat I'm thinking of writing something starting near the end of Falaise and the beginning of Market Garden. The Killing Ground is an old book but one which is still worth reading. One Christmas is a good introduction to the political events which forged The Grand Alliance.

This is an excellent article 👇

I suppose it would be irresponsible of me as an author if I didn’t tell everyone that USNI books are currently 50% off… including my latest, “Nothing Here Worth Dying For.” Remember folks: A book always makes a great Christmas present! www.usni.org/press/books?...

My family came to the U.S. before the Immigration Act of 1924 banned Japanese and cut Eastern European immigrants. Since then, our family fought for our country in WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave because of those who became Americans.

What happens when nationalist history meets the horrors of empire? For @jacobinmag.bsky.social, I reviewed a new exhibition on British counterinsurgency at the Imperial War Museum jacobin.com/2025/11/brit...

Anyone interested in pursuing doctoral study in military history (broadly defined) and especially in tje strategy snd economic statecraft of tge two world wars: please drop me a line www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/schola...

No #HistBookChat post this week. Instead, I'm committing myself to the appreciation of Northern Irish whiskey (or, if you prefer, whiskey from the North of Ireland ).

Very excited for this - don't forget to treat your nearest and dearest to a copy for Christmas! #HistBookChat #Skystorians #FWW #GreatWar

Volume 1 of London Pride is on its way! It examines London’s Territorial Force (TF) from 1908-21, exploring its unique structure, socio-economic composition, military operations during the GW. Ideal for office & home use & Xmas presents. Reg interest: tinyurl.com/25tty85e @parhistory.bsky.social

Cornell are having a 44% off sale until December 5th! Buy books including mine… www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

Dutch friends! A reminder that I’ll be talking Liverpool and the remaking of port cities with a fantastic panel of scholars in Amsterdam on Tuesday. It will also be livestreamed. aces.uva.nl/shared/uva-p...

Join us in Belfast @centreforgender.bsky.social next Friday 28th 4-6pm for launch of Women's Troubles @frecklescorp.bsky.social @drdeiana.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/womens-tro...

Happy #HistBookChat Friday! Finished Peter Morton's Emergency Tour" this week (not a brilliant photograph of thr book I'm afraid). A very interesting insights from a battalion commander on his tour in South Armagh. Lots to reflect on, and I'm intrigued to see how his memoir... #Skystorians

Well, it's that time of year when book buying goes into overdrive! This year's theme is definitely PhD research related (and what's a PhD loan for anyway?) Peter Taylor's trilogy is still essential reading for the conflict in Northern Ireland and will be amongst... #HistBookChat #Skystorians

What's left of Gaza: Black—urban neighborhoods the IDF has fully demolished with earthmovers etc. White—undemolished urban neighborhoods (with varying levels of major damage from 2 years of bombing, artillery, and ground fighting) Yellow—IDF-controlled (white areas liable to further demolition)

Several minute piece on the BBC. Lots of detectorists. No archaeologists. No-one from PAS. No-one from museums. No discussion of the costs or responsibilities involved. 😡 #Archaeology #Detecting #Treasure #BBC #News

I'm reviewing this book for the JAH; just wanted to put it on the radar of the nat sec crowd. Probably the most thorough and insightful account of Somalia I've encountered.

Early this week, I finished Christian Tripodi's "The Unknown Enemy". It's a book that's been on the radar for some time and it was certainly worth the wait. Tripodi has skillfully critiqued the concept of 'political warfare' in counterinsurgency, utilising... #HistBookChat #Skystorians #COIN

🚨 Delighted to share that I have signed with Bloomsbury to write my first book: a study of Australia's involvement and strategic interests in the Middle East and Mediterranean in WW2.

Wartime entertainment was just some toothy bloke with a ukulele. Hold my beer! Excited to be presenting a topic close to my heart on @ww2tv.bsky.social in early December! #histbookchat

As an Iraq War scholar, I want to write a "Here's Why We Shouldn't Invade Venezuela" article, but it feels trite and pointless, like writing a piece on "Here's Why You Should Step Around that Piece of Dog Crap" article.

One in twenty Reform councillors elected in May 2025 has left by the Autumn - half expelled/suspended - a quarter resigned from council - some defected An "unusual rate" of attrition in 6 months, says Tony Travers www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Well that’s that. Very officially done and dusted PhD. Cheers.

I'm conscious I promised a review of @swbfolsom.bsky.social's "Where Youth and Laughter Go" and have singularly failed to deliver this. Suffice to say, this is an excellent memoir of a battalion commander, written in a reasoned, sober and truly 'warts and all' manner #HistBookChat #Skystorians 1/

#histbookchat after fighting in the middle east in volume 1 the lads of the 2/12th Battalion head back to Australia and a new enemy the Japanese in volume 2.

Incredibly sad news coming out from Ottawa. I really enjoyed Tim Cook's work - he had a rare talent for combining quality research with a style of writing that could engage all readers. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The very first drone attack on US forces in Iraq after 10/7 by Shiite militias targeted the 2/10 Mountain JOC at Irbil Airport and wounded the brigade command sergeant major

This is excellent 👇 Also, I now want Smarties for breakfast.

It's been incredible this week to see something that I, along with many others, have been working on for several years... "Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya, and Cyprus" exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London. The exhibition represents a significant evolution... 1/6

Out this morning doing a Doctors and Diseases walking tour for @belfastfestival.bsky.social looking at Belfast’s medical history. Next two walks on 1.11.25, at 11am & 2pm. Book via the QR Code or 2025: belfastinternationalartsfestival.com/event/drs-an...

I have no doubt this will be an excellent (and much needed) exhibition. Looking forward to visiting on my next research trip.

Bit late to the party, but very much enjoying these two. @swbfolsom.bsky.social has written another insightful and engaging memoir (review to follow), whilst Tripodi's study is a genuine eye-opener and deftly pushes back on the primacy of 'political' action in contemporary COIN. #HistBookChat

#OTD 13 October 1915. An awful day for the counties of the North Midlands as their fathers, husbands and sons met a bloody repluse in their attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt, a phase of the Battle of Loos. #ww1 #genealogy

I spent some time on planes this week, so I got to read two entries for #histbookchat and #photofriday - “The Dawn of Everything - A New History of Humanity” by David Graeber and David Wengrow, and “British Infantry Battalion Commanders in the First World War” by Peter E Hodgkinson

Increased confidence to undertake & publish research, which in turn led to an MA, the (very early stages) of a PhD, a few magazines articles, a journal paper, a conference appearance, and (hopefully next year) a book chapter. For all its faults, I doubt this would have happened without Social Media

Shout out to all my fellow arts and humanities graduates in the UK with our rip off degrees- many of us may not be the biggest earners but I would argue have generally been considerably better contributors to society than vast majority of the Tory party.

I was one of a handful of white kids at my school in the city. It enriched my life and worldview ✏️ Kieran Connell

Have spent a lovely couple of days in Cardiff! Thanks so much to @ckhillebrand.bsky.social and her colleagues (including the team @cardiffunilib.bsky.social) for pulling together a great PGR event for new Law, Politics and International Relations PhD candidates. #Skystorians #IR #PhD

Happy #HistBookChat day folks. A quick review of Gregg Zoroya's new(ish) book "Unremitting". Covering an understudied aspect of the Iraq War's historiography, the book recounts the experience of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment ('The Magnificent Bastards') in Ramadi... #Skystorians #GWOT #USMC

#histbookchat deep into this biography of the Australian General Thomas Blamey by my favourite author.

A quick review for #HistBookChat "Squaddies" has proven to be a really interesting sociological study of the British Army of the early 1980s. I'm certainly intrigued to compare its findings with those of Helen Parr's outstanding "Our Boys". Certainly worth your time (and money!) #Skystorians

Bringing our bank of online talks right up to date on YouTube, we have this piece by Simon Shephard and Vic Carr looking at British Army officer selection: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jl-...

I have to say I'm intrigued by the number of 'pro-military coup' accounts that have come out of the woodwork on Bluesky today 👀

🚨 Fully Funded PhD at Swansea 🚨 Politics & IR | A variety of topics within the department | Includes 3-month placement. 🗓 Apply by 11 Dec 2025 | Start Oct 2026 🌍 UK + international applicants welcome Details 👉 www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate...

My latest post uses primary sources to examine how entertainment raised morale in hospitals during the Italian campaign and examines what Joyce Grenfell taught the British Army after her first tour in 1944. #skystorians #milwelfhist open.substack.com/pub/matteato...