Aim
The Firepower: Lessons from the Great War History Seminar Series will arrange and coordinate a series of seminar presentations on the history of Australian artillery and firepower during the Great War, from the ANZAC landings in April 1915, to the final Hindenburg Line breaches in September 1918.
Firepower: Lessons from the Great War will provide a comprehensive treatment of the role of Artillery in what is considered one of the most globally impactful conflicts of all time.
Purpose
Firepower: Lessons from the Great War seeks to reignite passion and interest in the profession of Artillery within the Army, Defence and the wider public.
Scope
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Overview
Firepower: Lessons from the Great War is designed to coincide with and complement the Centenary of Anzac commemorative activities from April 2015 until November 2018. Principally, the Seminar Series will address the events playing out in the key Great War battles in which Australian artillery participated.
The Series' central theme is the significance of artillery and Firepower, and how this vital element of combat power was generated during the Great War. Within this main topic are diverse but carefully selected presentation sub-themes, designed to illustrate the interconnected nature of the nascent modern battlespace that evolved during those momentous engagements.
The Series' sub-themes therefore explore the interconnected nature of relevant technology, the evolution of all-arms cooperation, the birth of joint fires coordination, and the human stories of soldiers and commanders, drawn from the experiences of both Allied and Central Powers gunners, and those who served alongside them.
Firepower: Lessons from the Great War format
Generally, each Seminar will consist of a panel of four to five speakers who will each deliver papers related to a particular battle, offensive or other significant anniversary. Each seminar will ideally contain one keynote speaker of significant repute as a 'high payoff' drawcard for the event.
Papers will be of no more than ten minutes in duration, but may be based on more substantive research and writing. After formal papers are delivered, the seminar Master of Ceremonies will facilitate questions and discussion between audience and panellists.
Generally, seminars will be programmed as an evening event, after business hours, and last about two hours. However, there is scope to alter the format to be delivered over a formal lunch or dinner (i.e. with papers interspersing dining courses), or a daytime seminar if regional convenors prefer.
The idea is to provide a varied and diversely interesting treatment of each battle/event that facilitates speakers of differing experiences and opportunities to contribute equally to the Seminar Series.
Firepower: Lessons from the Great War themes
Contemporary relevance. Presenters will be strongly encouraged to scope their papers to address relevance for today's and tomorrow's military audience – particularly the ‘Gunner’ community.
Central theme. The central theme for the Seminar Series is Firepower: Lessons from the Great War: 1915-1918
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| Sub-themes. Papers on a diverse array of sub-themes are sought, including: |
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- Command and Control
- Human Stories – Gunners and others who served
- Human Stories – Commanders and others who led
- Artillery Tactics
- Science and Technology – Ammunition systems
- Science and Technology – resolving the ‘Gunnery Problem’
- Combined Arms – the advent of modern warfare
- Force Generation and Sustainment – logistics, munitions and materiel
- Other Gunners – the experiences of allies and adversaries alike
Proposals for other topics in a similar spirit and vein are also welcome |
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Papers for presentation
Presenters. Presenters will be invited from a diverse mix of well-known historians, up-and-coming authors and 'amateur' writers, including serving & ex-serving Gunners of all ranks and fields. Invitations to contribute will be made in the RAA Liaison Letter, as well as other academic and Service publications, and through the various Gunner social networking channels.
Seminar papers. Papers must be no longer than 10 minutes in duration (delivered), no longer than 1,500 words (submitted for publication in the proceedings in the RAAHC magazine, Cannonball) and related to the Seminar theme.
More substantive papers on the same topic and from the same research may be submitted for separate peer review publication in accordance with arrangements as described below.
Topic relevance. Papers must provide evident ‘hooks’ that render their material relevant to the development and employment of contemporary and future artillery capability. |
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Stakeholders |
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Firepower: Lessons from the Great War will encompass many stakeholders, including contributors, audiences, sponsors and volunteer support staff. The RAAHC will continue to develop and grow this community of interest as the Seminar Series continues. Stakeholders already engaged include:
- Royal Australian Artillery Historical Sub-Committee
- RAA Regimental Committee
- RAA Regiments and units
- Australian War Memorial
- Army History Unit
- Royal Australian Artillery Associations
- University History Departments (including ADFA)
- Other historical societies
- United Services Institute (ACT)
- Royal United Services Institute (Vic) and Royal United Services Institute (NSW)
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| Firepower: Lessons from the Great War will encompass many stakeholders, including contributors, audiences, sponsors and volunteer support staff. The RAAHC will continue to develop and grow this community of interest as the Seminar Series continues. Stakeholders already engaged include: |
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- Royal Australian Artillery Historical Sub-Committee
- RAA Regimental Committee
- RAA Regiments and units
- Australian War Memorial
- Army History Unit
- Royal Australian Artillery Associations
- University History Departments (including ADFA)
- Other historical societies
- United Services Institute (ACT)
- Royal United Services Institute (Vic) and Royal United Services Institute (NSW)
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Coordination |
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| Overview. The Seminar Series will be coordinated and conducted as a non-public funded activity. Involvement from serving Army or Defence personnel will be in a private capacity, although the RAAHC will seek permission to utilise Defence facilities. Speakers will be approached to contribute on a pro bono basis - with their reward being a token gift of appreciation, and (as appropriate) the esteem of a peer-reviewed publication. |
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Organisation |
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The Series will be organised through the following bodies:
- Seminar Series Steering Sub-Committee: Decide events dates, venues, themes and topics
- Events Team: Coordinate/ runs / participates in events (book theatres, write letters, invite guests, do marketing/outreach, and arrange gifts)
- Research Team: Suggest possible authors. Provide research advice to authors for sources
- Editorial Board: Review and edit submissions for publication in Cannonball
Further details of organising body roles and indicative memberships are available on request. Volunteers wishing to offer their support to these bodies are gladly welcome. |
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Scheduling
Seminar sessions will be timed throughout the period 2015-2018, to coincide with key battle anniversaries and other salient dates.
Each seminar will comprise a selection of papers exploring sub-themes relevant to each battle anniversary, and a plenary session compèred by a relevant expert. A maximum of three seminars is planned for each year of the series.
Seminar Venues. (info as at 15 March 2015) The principal venue is likely to be the Military Theatrette at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Potential future ACT venues may include the Russell Building 1 Theatrette, Badcoe Hall at Royal Military College, Blamey Theatre at Australian Defence College, and the Telstra Theatre AWM
United Services Institute (USI) ACT co-billing. The United Services Institute (ACT) has provisionally agreed to co-bill Firepower Seminars as an addition to its regular lecture series, held fortnightly in Canberra at the Australian Defence College, Weston Creek and the Russell Building 1 Theatrette at Russell Offices.
Confirmed seminar arrangements: Gallipoli: the Landing at Anzac
The first seminar is confirmed for 13 May in the military theatrette, ADFA, commencing at 1700 for 1730h. The two hour program format is divided equally into formal remarks from the five speakers, followed by a moderated Q&A style panel session. The topics for Gallipoli: the Landing at Anzac are:
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- Command, Control and Communication Challenges at Anzac
- Brigadier Chris Roberts, RAINF (retd)
- Gallipoli Gunners - The Human Side
- Naval Gunfire at Gallipoli
- Commander David Stevens, RANR
- The New Zealand Field Artillery at Gallipoli
- Lieutenant Colonel Bob Moody, RNZA
- The Indo-Pakistan Artillery at Gallipoli
- Brigadier Muhammad Asghar, PA
Remaining Seminars
The current provisional schedule for the remaining seminars is:
- August 2015: Gallipoli: Suvla Bay & the August Offensive (ADC Weston Creek)
- May 2016: Western Front: from Egypt to Armentieres (Federal Golf Club) (loc TBC) [Note: dinner format]
- August 2016: Western Front: Fromelles / Pozieres (ADFA) (loc TBC)
- November 2016: Western Front: Verdun and the end of the beginning (ADC Weston Creek) (loc TBC)
- May 2017: Western Front: Bullecourt / Lagnicourt (AWM) (loc TBC)
August 2017: Western Front: Messines Ridge / Passchendaele / 3rd Ypres (ADFA) (loc TBC)
- November 2017: Western Front: Cambrai and the beginning of the end (ADC Weston Creek) (loc TBC)
- March 2018: Western Front: Operation Michael / Villers Bretonneux (AWM) (loc TBC)
- July 2018: Western Front: Hamel (ADFA) (loc TBC)
- November 2018: Amiens and the Hindenburg Line (ADC Weston Creek) (loc TBC)
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Publication information
(info as at 20 Mar 15)
Papers presented will be published in several forms:
Cannonball. The Seminar Series will be the subject of dedicated editions of the RAAHC magazine, Cannonball – with papers from two seminars each year contributing to the ensuing Cannonball edition.
A prelude edition of Cannonball (Autumn 2015) will include an introduction to the Seminar Series.
Final editorial instructions are TBC, but as a general idea, papers would normally be between 1,500 and 3,000 words, with exceptions considered case by case.
Army History Unit. The Army History Unit has indicated it is prepared to support the Seminar Series by publishing an anthology of selected works – possibly each year. Papers submitted for consideration for publishing in these publications will be subject to peer review by an Editorial Board.
The peer review and editorial team will be based on the editorial team for Cannonball, RAAHC and AHU staff – seeking pro bono support from suitable academic & subject matter expert peers to make it substantive.
E-publishing. Besides normal print runs of Cannonball/RAA Liaison Letter and the AHU Seminar Series anthologies, all papers will also be posted on the RAAHC Website.
Other publications. Authors whose papers are not published in the AHU Seminar Series Seminar Series anthologies will be encouraged to seek publication of their papers in Australian Army Journal, Australian Defence Force Journaland others.
Visiting Participants
Internationally-based presenters will be invited to attend and participate, preferably funded by corporate sponsorship. Expressions of interest have been informally sought from several relevant corporate possibilities.
Participation by serving Gunners is strongly encouraged, ideally with RAA unit members representing their Regiment in presenting a paper at each Seminar.
Other participants are expected to be self-funding.
Venues / Facilities
Defence venues will be used where appropriate to minimise facility costs. Venues will mostly be in Canberra, but the intent will be to incorporate other capital cities – particularly Melbourne and Sydney – as selected by regional Event Coordinators. Where appropriate, timings will coincide to capitalise on other Centenary of Anzac activities.
RAAHC History Seminar Series: Event Schedule 2015 - 2018
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