Talk I Orange, Green and Khaki: Ireland And The Battle Of The Somme

Dr Timothy Bowman, Senior Lecturer, University of Kent
10 Nov I 19:00-20:00 I Theatre 2 I £6/£4.20
For many years the dominant, Unionist myth of the Battle of the Somme was that the 36th (Ulster) Division, formed from the pre-war Ulster Volunteer Force, had been sacrificed on the 1 July 1916 in the wider interests of the British Empire, a matter of weeks after Irish Nationalists stabbed Britain in the back with the Easter Rebellion in Dublin.
More recently historians have considered the role of the 16th (Irish) Division, formed from the pre-war Irish National Volunteers, in the Battles of Guillemont and Ginchy in September 1916.
In this lecture Dr Timothy Bowman, author of Irish Regiments in the Great War: Discipline and Morale, will consider Irish recruitment between 1914-16, the performance of Irish units in the Battle of the Somme and the use and misuse of history in commemorating and memorialising those who served in the Irish regiments during the Great War.
Date: 10 Nov
Time: 19:00-20:00 + time for questions
Venue: Theatre 2, Roland Levinksy Building, Plymouth University
Ticket information: £6/£4.20. Discounts available via the Artory App and free to Plymouth University students via SPIA.