On Tuesday 1st February, staff and pupils enjoyed the return of the in-person Junior History Medley after last year’s online edition. We were treated to eight presentations on an array of different topics and periods.
First up was Charlotte, our only Remove speaker and a familiar face from last year’s Medley, who started the evening off in excellent fashion with a talk about the Dutch Golden Age and its greatest achievements. This was followed by Paddy’s overview of the Irish Troubles and what they tell us about the nature of conflict: a sensitive treatment of a tricky topic. Theo came next with a thoughtful and broad look at Operation Barbarossa, before Faith explained the current configuration of the UAE and the Gulf states in a talk which educated staff and pupils alike.
Josh was up next with a broader consideration of whether history is written by the victors, with a thought-provoking and powerful conclusion about the power of written history. Leo gave a comprehensive and personal account of the Chinese Civil War, its context, and its outcome, and Arthur spoke about the role of luck in historical events, using the case studies of the Battle of Hastings and the Spanish Armada to illustrate his points. Finally, Aston ended the evening with an overview of the role of conspiracy in historical events.
All speakers delivered their presentations extremely well and rose to the occasion in fine style. It was particularly pleasing to see the evening dominated by Shell pupils, despite this being only their second term at the College: this bodes well for the future of this always-enjoyable event. The pupils are to be commended for their motivation and independence with which they approached their task, as indeed are the audience for their supportive and attentive reception.
Thanks go especially to Mr Lynbeck for his assistance in supporting our speakers, and to CAFM and JLR for their support of the event.
Alistair Hamilton
History Department
