Hosted Saturday 8th February 2025, by Alison Baverstock
I guess you know a conference programme is working well when the speakers arrive early, reference each other in their own presentations, and then stay on to join in. This lovely email came afterwards from one of them.
‘I enjoyed the whole day. What you are doing is really worthwhile. A good deal of it was relevant to some of the things I want to do. The bits that weren’t were just plain interesting.’
I have long taught in a university, and we teach students to ‘deconstruct’. In other words, to break down the text in front of them and think about what is really being said. So that’s how I’m going to respond!
Firstly, it really was enjoyable. Being in a room with so many with a shared purpose – an interest in military memoir writing – enabled a really strong focus. The concentration was palpable. The lively programme offered a tempting blend of information and anecdotes (which I think are always what you learn most from, because they stick in the memory).
The worthwhile nature of the day. Those in the military, and those who live with them, get so used to not sharing their various involvements; there is such a prevalent culture of not talking about what you have been doing. So, getting people to think about how you might store memories that are important, but you don’t particularly want to shout about, can bring huge relief.
And once it’s written down, in whatever format you decide upon, from computer file to exercise book, no longer is the original holder of the story responsible for remembering. Realising that can be really liberating.
The bits that weren’t relevant to me were just plain interesting. Agreed. There were the recollections of two very old ladies, one of them still with us, and how she finally got around to reflecting on the circumstances leading up to the death of her brother, 61 years after he died. And her poignant additional reflection, passed on a further 20 years later, that she wished she had put more of her own feelings into what she published. Two of the afternoon contributions were from the historian and the archivist at the museum. Their enthusiasm for the exhibits and other resources they manage was utterly infectious. And in the process of listening to them, I think for most of us the penny dropped: every museum must have the same – in house experts you can approach to find out more. The final presentation ended with research into the personality profile that may be best suited to managing the sharing of content through independent publishing. Non-compliant and restless mindsets do well, apparently. No comment.
In all, a most successful day, certainly an encouraging one, and we look forward to running something similar in Northern Ireland towards the end of March. See here for how to book: Military memoir writing Tickets, Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite