35th Wellington Lecture with Professor Adrian Smith

Join us for our Annual Wellington Lecture on Tuesday 29 October at Turner Sims on Highfield Campus.

We are honoured to present Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton, Adrian Smith, who will be speaking on 'Wellington and two world wars'.

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About this talk

Both world wars saw significant anniversaries of Waterloo, but ironically in each conflict the British enjoyed only brief access to the battlefield. Despite this, the ‘Iron Duke’ was an ever-present, memorialised in the names of ships, aircraft and regiments. Even in an age of industrial warfare Wellington remained an inspirational figure, his tactical legacy most evident in theatres of operation outside Europe. While Nelson loomed large in naval command, Wellington fulfilled a subtler role within the British Army. Soldiers like Montgomery did invite comparison with their illustrious predecessor; but it was less high-profile commanders, notably Allenby and Slim, who best embodied the Duke’s enduring qualities. From ‘Old Hooky’ to ‘Uncle Bill’, from the Peninsula to Burma, successive campaigns across successive centuries saw generals of rare talent and esteem fashion total victory out of near absolute defeat.

About Professor Adrian Smith

Adrian Smith is Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Southampton. His books include a two-volume biography of Admiral Lord Mountbatten, the lives of aviation pioneer and industrialist Sir Richard Fairey and of socialist air ace ‘Mick’ Mannock, a history of the early New Statesman and a collection of essays on twentieth-century Coventry. Away from political and military history he writes extensively about music and sport.

For information on travelling to Turner Sims, including location, parking and disablitlity access, please click here.

The Turner Sims Bar will be open from 17:30 to purchase drinks and refreshments.

If you are unable to attend this event but would like to receive a copy of the recording please email .

Did you miss this annual lecture in 2023? Click below to watch the recording.

For 2023's Annual 34th Wellington Lecture, we were delighted to welcome University of Glasgow's Professor Tony Pollard, Professor of Conflict Archaeology and History to Southampton. Professor Pollard spoke on 'Aftermath, 1815 and Beyond: Battlefield Clearance and Archaeology at Waterloo'. Press the play button below to watch this lecture.

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