About
The Second World War Research Group, Europe, Middle East and North Africa is an organisation that brings together those scholars across Europe, the Middle East and the North African region who are researching aspects of the broad period of the Second World War.
The regional group aims to promote innovative research, serve to connect scholars, as well as provide a central point of contact for research on the Second World War.
As part of its mission, the Second World War Research Group, Europe, Middle East and North Africa will act as a regional forum for:
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Bringing together new perspectives on the conflict;
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Publicising recent and current research into the conflict and its global impact;
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Encouraging collaboration in research across the scholarly community and academic disciplines;
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Providing an organisational hub for conferences, seminars and other events relating to the conflict; and
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Supporting members by serving as the first point of contact for key stakeholders and audiences interested in research and expertise on the Second World War.
Committee
Dr Alex Wilson
Director
Alex is a lecturer at the Defence Studies Department, King’s College London. His research explores the battlefield performance of the Indian Army during the Second World War, mixing assessment of societal, organisational and tactical factors. He was the lead organiser of the SWWRG’s Annual Conference in Europe in 2018 and has presented papers and lectures on three continents.
Dr Jean Smith
Director
Jean is a lecturer in the Liberal Arts Department, King's College London. She has published extensively on migration within the British Empire-Commonwealth and the South African home front. She is currently working on a book project, Empire in Motion: Conflict and Cooperation during the Second World War, examinng the social history of wartime mobility around the British Empire-Commonwealth based on research funded by the Leverhulme Trust.
Dr Richard Hammond
Director
Richard is a Lecturer in War Studies at Brunel University. His research focuses on British relations with Fascist Italy, including Italian influences on British imperial defence prior to the war, and their grand strategy during it. He has also published extensively on operational history in the war, particularly relating to the Mediterranean theatre, and issues of inter-service rivalry.
Megan Hamilton
Post-Graduate Lead
Megan is a PhD student in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. Her current research is an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership between King’s College London and the Imperial War Museum that studies Second World War army training across the British Empire. It aims to understand how training methods were developed, disseminated, and synchronized across this multi-national force. Her previous research focused on the Canadian experience of the Second World War.
Membership
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Second World War Research Group, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, please email us at jonathan.fennell@kcl.ac.uk, giving your name, affiliation and research interests.