The Society for Army Historial Research

The Society was founded in 1921 with the object of fostering an interest in the history and traditions of the British Army, and of the Land Forces of the Empire, the Dominions and colonies and the Commonwealth, including such notable non-governmental organisations as the Honourable East India Company. The Society's principal aim is to encourage research in these fields.

Malta GC, Two Thousand Years of Military History
The Society for Army Historical Research (SAHR) has arranged a 10-day tour to Malta from 2 - 12 November 2007. It will cover the military history of Malta, including that of the British Army in Malta, and also look at the history and culture of the island. A full programme has been arranged which will be led by Adran Strickland, a SAHR member who is a Knight of Malta. The cost of the package is £895 pp for a twin room in a four star hotel or £1110 pp in a five star hotel, both on half board basis. NB Flights are not included.

There are still a number of vacancies and the tour is now being opened up to non-SAHR members. Anyone interested in joining the trip should contact the SAHR Honorary Treasurer and Membership Secretary, Colonel Guy Sayle, guysayle@hotmail.com for further details.

The Society's interests embrace both Army and Regimental history, military antiquities and pictures, uniforms, badges and medals, arms and equipment, customs and traditions and the history of land warfare in general.

The study of campaigns, commanders and the political aspects of war is covered from the sixteenth century to the 1960s, this cut-off date being chosen because of the restricted availability of primary research material of more recent date within the British national archive system. The Society is concerned that it should publish only those articles whose authors have had the best possible information sources available to them.

The Society's main activity is the publication of a quarterly Journal reflecting the members' interests and the results of their own research. This publication, produced to a very high technical standard, is widely recognized as being at the forefront of British military studies, and is internationally renowned for its consistent interest, variety and scholarship. The quarterly issues add up to a most attractive volume including colour plates and monochrome illustrations. The Society's subscription, however, remains modest as authors are not paid for their contributions.

In addition, over the years, the Society has produced a number of special issues: monographs on dress distinctions, bibliographical or regimental research aids and bibliographies as well as previously unpublished soldiers' letters or diaries.

Two volumes of indices have been produced making it easy to find any references to material published in the Journal up to 1990.

The Hon. Editor can be contacted at: Dr Matthew Hughes, Hon. Editor, JSAHR, Politics and History, School of Business, Marie Jahoda Building, Brunel University, Middlesex UB8 3PH, E-mail: matthew.hughes@brunel.ac.uk, Tel: 01895 266872

The Reviews Editor can be contacted at: Dr Nikolas Gardner, 325 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, AL 36112, USA, E-mail: gardnernikolas@yahoo.com

As from 2007, the Society's lectures will be concentrated on two events to be held at the National Army Museum, namely the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 18 April 2007 and a new Autumn Meeting on Wednesday 19 September 2007.

For the first date, we are fortunate in having been able to secure Edward Paice, author of the critically acclaimed "Lost Lion of Empire: the life of 'Cape-to-Cairo' Grogan" (2001) and the soon-to-be published "Tip and Run: the untold tragedy of the Great War in Africa."

It is planned that the speaker for the Autumn Meeting will be the winner of the Templer Medal, to be announced and awarded at the Annual General Meeting.

We hope that you will wish to assist the society in the promotion of its aims and to take enjoyment from the membership advantages it offers.

The Templer Medal award was established in 1982 to commemorate the life and achievements of Field Marshal Sir Gerald Templer KG and to mark his Presidency of the Society between 1965 and 1979. The medal is awarded each Spring to the book published during the previous year which makes the most significant contribution to the history of the British Army. Through the generosity of the National Army Museum Development Trust the Society has, from 2000, accompanied the medal with the financial prize of £5,000 for the successful author.

The winner of the 2006 Templer Medal and Book Prize is Field Marshal Sir Henry Wilson: A Political Soldier, by Professor Keith Jeffery (Oxford University Press). The author is Professor of British History at Queen's University, Belfast.