The busy weekend got off to a good start with sunshine and a brilliant blue sky on Saturday.
Families were queuing early to get into the History Festival and soon there was an enthusiastic rush of children jumping and leaping, demanding of parents and grandparents, “What are we going to do FIRST?”.
As they dispersed across the valley, the helter-skelter, the big wheel and ice cream seemed initially to be less of an attraction than the performances by History’s Maid, Viking Stories or Major Banger King (among many others) or having a go at Sword School or chiselling a Great War gravestone. It was also good to see youngsters present to hear the academic speakers such as Jonathan Sumption who gave a powerful analysis of the Hundred Years War, something clearly far removed from any immediate ancestral experience and not taught in schools.
Jonathan Dimbleby, unable to be here in person because of the imminence of the election, spoke with his usual enthusiasm and passion by video link about his new book Endgame 1944, which analyses Operation Bagration, the massive Russian offensive against Germany, timed to take advantage of the Normandy landings in the west. He described the horrific atrocities and monumental casualties that occurred and how Stalin learnt not to interfere in his commander’s decisions at the same time as Hitler was trying to micromanage the fighting - both with disastrous consequences for the German army. James Holland, Peter Caddick-Adams and Michael Neuberg then discussed how strongly the memory of the Great Patriotic War affects Putin’s thinking today, and how the general disregard for the lives of Russian soldiers seems still to be a feature of Russian operations as now in Ukraine.
Nabila Ramdani, a French-Algerian journalist gave a powerful indictment of contemporary France in her talk in the Stove Tent. She contended that France was built on the idealism of liberty, equality and fraternity but that this is now a myth bearing no resemblance to reality. The citizens are angry and dissatisfied, there is economic injustice, educational inequalities, institutional rioting, terrorism, religious discrimination and paramilitary policing. The far right may be trying to hide its origins linked to the Nazis, but in fact Nazi nostalgia and racism remain strong within Rassemblement National. The Fifth Republic, emerging from the end of the war in Algeria, gave its President far too much power making reform of the constitution almost impossible. If Marine Le Pen should become President in 2027 France will become an “elected dictatorship”. It was a depressing picture.
A highlight of the talks was James May in discussion with James Holland. To a packed audience they discussed, 'The Car: Did we get it wrong?' As you would expect in any talk with James May, there was much humour, and he won me over when he said that there was really no need for any car other than a Golf, which is in fact the perfect car in terms of size, speed and cost.
Today was a day for displays, and both the Wimborne Militia and the WWII artillery put on impressive displays for the admiring crowds, with the rumbling of tanks and crack of gunshots ringing through the valley. A particular highlight was a fly-past by a Spitfire and crowds assembled on the hill and around the Chalke sign to watch it. We were very lucky as it did several loops around the valley, that iconic noise and the glint of the sunshine on its wings against the perfectly blue sky making it a truly memorable experience. When the pilot dipped his wings before he left, a round of applause broke out from the crowd.
The day ended with a D-Day dance in the Speigeltent, to the accompaniment of 1940s swing music. Professional swing dancers took to the floor but soon everyone was joining in, and it was a splendid way to end a busy Saturday.
This week has proved that despite the loss of their original sponsor and less national media coverage than in previous years, the festival will continue to entertain, educate and enthrall; they have kept the best of what makes it such a success and added a few extra touches.
The increase in talks included in the price ticket is surely a winner for visitors, as is the introduction of a weekly pass, so people can dip in and out as they wish. New additions such as Friday night's Abba tribute band, an increase in kids activities with the Victorian Wild West show, and an Instagrammable 'CHALKE' high on the hill have attracted different types of visitors to the festival and as the festival is determined to maintain the delicate balance between the old faithful and the newcomers, the longevity of the festival is assured for many years to come.
DAY FIVE
The sun may have stayed home for Day five, but the crowds certainly didn't, although many of them may have been regretting their sartorial choices of shorts, sandals and sunhats. The build up to the weekend has begun as families arrived on site and the fairground rides started to see some action. Celebrity arrived too, with BBC star Ben Willbond on site and groups of giggling teenage girls waiting outside the press tent just to catch a glimpse of him.
One of the most popular speakers every year is Sir Max Hastings and today the Hiscox tent was a sell out for 'Operation Biting: The 1942 parachute assault to capture German radar', one of the most successful British raids of the war. Sir Max always brings both drama and human personalities into his compelling narratives, and his audience today was totally absorbed by his gripping account of the discovery of the German radar network on the coast of Nazi occupied Europe, codenamed Wurzburg, and the subsequent planning and fulfilment of the plot to drop airborne troops at Bruneval in Normandy both to disable the radar and bring home vital components and information.
The many characters involved in this operation from Lord Louis Mountbatten, Boy Browning, and the French agent Remy to Charlie Cox, the young RAF technician whose role was to dismantle the equipment, were described with clarity and humour. The speaker had the audience collectively holding its breath as he described the escape to the beach and the heart-stopping delay in the arrival of the landing craft to take them and their precious cargo safely back across the Channel. In a time of bad news the paras had proved the potency of surprise from the sky and Churchill was unstinting in his praise.
With the buzzards circling overhead the IPGL arena Professor Michael Neuberg delivered a powerful summary of the complex history of Palestine from WWI through WWII to 1948 to help shed light on why the current problems of Gaza and the Middle East are so incredibly difficult to unravel and solve. He detailed the Balfour Declaration by the British of 1917- a document still used by both Israelis and Palestinians to justify their claims and positions. Kristallnacht in Germany in November 1938 added to an already existing refugee problem and at the end of the war the discovery of the death camps gave urgency to the finding of a solution. The result was the creation of Israel in 1948 which in turn caused a further refugee crisis as Palestinians were driven out of their homes, an event contributing to the present war which has followed the attack by Hamas on Israel. Professor Neuberg put forward three possible land solutions, all of which had significant obstacles to implantation because the traumas of history are getting in the way of compromise and understanding.
Saul David focused his talk about Airborne Forces in WWII on a specific event which encapsulated the courage and determination of paratroopers, that of the glider landing near Pegasus Bridge in the early hours of June 6th, 1944 and the subsequent capture of two vital bridges to enable the Allies to move east after their invasion of the Normandy beaches. He took us through the drama and tension of those hours following the successful and accurate landing of most of the Horsas, to the fighting under the command of Major John Howard, the rapid capture of both bridges within 10 minutes, and the skill of men from the Oxford and Bucks LI in holding them against the German counterattack. It was a powerful and riveting talk, and a great tribute to all the men who fought and died that day and in all airborne operations throughout the war.
Sophie Yeo, environmental journalist, was in discussion with archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes about her new book, 'Nature's Ghosts: The World We Lost and how to Bring it Back'.
She talked about how she used historical analysis such as archives, journals of travellers and explorers and even Welsh poetry to look at what there was an abundance of in the natural world in the past, to see what we are lacking today.
This is not a book about rewilding, although that plays a part, but also about how the landscape can remember the presence of people.
A forest in France was found to have once been home to a Roman farm, and despite 2000 years passing, the forest has not regrown back to its natural state; the insect life and flowers and more common and less rare than the original varieties which once grew there: human activity has an impact of everything and the landscape has a deep memory.
Two of the stars of 'Ghosts' and 'Horrible Histories' were on the IPGL stage this afternoon; Ben Willbond and Laurence Rickard. For the first time at Chalke History Festival, people sat on the grass as close as they could get to the stage, cheering the speakers at every opportunity they got. They were both highly entertaining and amusing, keeping their audience entranced with their stories about making the BBC series, 'Ghosts', which is actually well worth a watch for some light hearted historical humour.
DAY FOUR
Day Four may have got off to a grey and gloomy start, but it didn't take long for the drizzle to stop and the sun to come out in full force. D-Day was on the menu, so the big guns were brought out, including James Holland, Peter Caddick Adams and a 25 pound artillery gun to make loud bangs and drift clouds of smoke across the valley.
The Hiscox tent was completely packed for the D-Day morning whose talks were led by James Holland, Peter Caddick-Adams and Al Murray. They discussed the nature of fighting in Normandy and how the expectation of the Allies had been that they would experience the hardest task on the beaches but “be able to stop for calvados and croissants on the way to Berlin”. The reality was totally different as D-Day saw the Allies established on the land but the battle through the bocage and the difficult terrain of Normandy proved to be horrifyingly difficult.
There were interesting comparisons between the approaches and capabilities of the opposing armies. The Allied armies (average age of the British soldier was 21) had had many months of training in the UK whereas many of the German army (average age 35) were coming to the battle from the bitter fighting on the Eastern Front: many had been wounded and were expecting rehabilitation. The Allied armies, as reflecting their democratic societies, valued the lives of their soldiers and so their medical facilities, with plasma and penicillin ready, were efficient and effective. By contrast, the German generals saw their soldiers as expendable and there was no mass production of penicillin until the autumn of 1944.
The Allied soldiers were usually in the front line for no more than 4 days at a time, whereas the German army were constantly on the alert, including having to move all equipment and supplies at night as the Allies quickly had command of the air. The utter exhaustion and brutal experience of soldiers from both sides was discussed, with a timely reminder that this was now the ordeal for Ukrainian soldiers.
The History Festival always treasures veterans and Henry Rice was a great addition to the stage. He began by commenting that at the recent D-Day commemorations in France, “I was the baby, I’m only 98, there were some very old people there”. He spoke of his experience as a signaller on HMS Eastway on the day of the landings and the work that he does now visiting schools in both the UK and France. He was adamant that today’s children must be taught about the wars to prevent them happening again, and was alarmed that British schools seemed largely to be ignoring them in the modern day curriculum. The Hiscox Tent gave him a standing ovation.
The morning culminated in the firing of a 25 pound artillery gun, with crowds gathered, fingers in ears, to watch it firing off towards the Chalke sign on Holland Hill. Enthusiasts stood with cameras poised to film the big moment, but unfortunately it only fired once; something had gone wrong and prevented it from firing again. The disappointment didn't last long however, as people wandered off to sample other talks, performances, to stroll down Museum Row or just find some lunch from one of the many food stalls on site.
Journalists Francis Dearnley and Dominic Nichols introduced their talk “Ukraine: Rhetoric and Reality” with the observation that “ journalism is the first draft of history” and proceeded to tell the audience much of what they have learnt about the war in Ukraine since the invasion of February 2022. They discussed whether, and how, President Kerensky’s maximalist aim of turning the Russians out of all Ukrainian territory could be realised in reality, especially as whoever wins the Presidential election in America, there is no evidence that support will increase.
They believe that there is some naivety in the West about Putin’s intentions - the Kremlin continues to state that its aim is the total control and absorption of Ukraine and there is no evidence that it will retreat from this position. However, Putin has not responded to various escalations of supply of equipment from the West despite his threats of nuclear retaliation, perhaps because China is urging restraint. Several Ukrainians, here as refugees from the conflict, came from their nearby tent and stalls to listen to this talk. It must have been a distressing experience to hear of the horrors currently besetting their country, and the speculation about its uncertain future.
Kate Morgan was in conversation with Trevor Dolby about her new book, The Walnut Tree, the title taken from the old proverb, 'A woman, a dog and a walnut tree; the more you beat them the better they be."
She talked about Caroline Norton who left her husband in 1836, and how he was able to keep all of her assets as well as her children in a despicable act of cruelty, supported by the law. Her case led to many legal reforms, although not enough, as women were not allowed to own property as they were property themselves. Kate talked about the terrible treatment of women by the law, 'wife sales', the fact that it was considered impossible for rape to occur within marriage and how women were always the ones held responsible for prostitution, rather than the men buying it. It was a fascinating talk and shows just how extensive the subject matter can be at this festival.
Other talks today included Ali Ansari who gave a talk on 'Iran: the Twilight of the Islamic Republic' to possibly the biggest crowd to attend a talk at this year's festival.
People lay back in the sunshine with a pint to listen to his extensive knowledge: particularly relevant was his statement that history is the 'Queen of the Humanities', providing us with the ability to study processes over a long period of time, it is the study of change, and how to value and study evidence to construct narratives.
The sun is setting on another fantastic day at the festival, with three more days still to go. Highlights of tomorrow include Saul David on British airborne forces in WW2, James Holland, Charlie Higson and Antony Beevor talking about war movies, the ever popular Histrionics with Dan Snow and Max Hastings on Operation Biting. Performances and smaller talks continue, as do Soldier School, the Trench Experience and a host of other displays and activities.
DAY 2
The second day of the festival got off to a sunny start, and primary school children filled the site until it was time for the public to arrive at 3.30pm. Panama hats, sundresses and blazers were out in force as the talks and performances continued, culminating in the sold out live broadcast of The Rest is History.
Tracy Borman, Chief Curator of Royal Palaces, explained the significance of the buildings she administers and detailed some of the secrets not usually revealed to the visiting public. She focused particularly on the Tower of London as having a major role in so many of the dramatic events in the nation’s history. During the Peasants Revolt in 1399 the building was stormed by the rebels and the Archbishop of Canterbury decapitated in the White Tower. Anne Boleyn was tried, condemned and executed here. The Tower was only saved during the Great Fire in 1666 by Samuel Pepys who alerted the a king to the flames creeping ominously close. The soldiers had to rescue and move 66 barrels of gunpowder out on to the safety of the Thames.
There was discussion of the unsolved mysteries, particularly the murder of Henry VI while at prayer in the Tower in 1471 and the disappearance of the princes in 1483. She spoke of rare escapes - Ranulf Flambard, the very first prisoner, lowered out of the tower by a rope, Father John Gerard, the Catholic priest who escaped by zip wire in 1597 and the Jacobite Lord Nivesdale walking boldly out of his cell dressed as lady’s maid in 1716.
The famous myths and legends surrounding the ravens and the authenticity of the Crown Jewels were discussed. Unexpected was the information about the preparation in 1940 for the possible arrival of Adolf Hitler as a prisoner - and the toilet prepared in his planned quarters, still known as “Hitler’s loo”.
Tracy Borman, Michael Wood and Tim Bouverie later held a lively discussion of the nature of power and what constitutes leadership. As well as monarchs, the roles of other significant figures were analysed for their qualities. Elizabeth I was praised as a pragmatist with a great ability to choose loyal and wise advisers like William Cecil. Her skill in steering the country through the religious crisis, and her complete commitment to the national, her awareness of the power of propaganda were all praised.
Alfred’s struggle against the Danes demonstrated great military leadership and his construction of a cultured and scholarly court rescued England from the destruction of previous years. Other major characters such as Martin Luther and Gandhi were considered for various traits of leadership, with some excursions into counterfactual history and the impact of the individual on historical events. All agreed that many of the best monarchs were those like Alfred and Elizabeth who were not destined by birth to be rulers, but became so by accidents of history. And just how many strong female rulers were lost by the law of male primogeniture?
Corrine Fowler, co-author of the report commissioned by the National Trust which caused such consternation a few years ago, was in conversation on the outdoor stage with Alex Langlands.
Clearly very bitter about the way she was treated by the press at the time, she talked about the media noise, angry that she never got a right of reply. Her new book looks at those in UK who were affected by colonialism, the indentured who were affected by events and actions of colonialism overseas.
Written as a series of walks of about 7km each, through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Britain, she describes the landscapes she walks through as well as the conversations she had with the people she took on her walks. However, taking people with overseas heritage to talk about the enclosure acts that affected the indigenous population of the UK from 1604 onwards will probably open her up to more criticism, her determination to find colonialism in every aspect of British history makes me think that her brush with media notoriety was perhaps not as unwelcome as she had earlier stated.
There is a significant Ukrainian presence along Museum Row, a stall staffed by some of the many Ukrainians who have been welcomed to Britain over the last two and a half years. A large group of Ukrainians are here in Salisbury and the surrounding area, some of whom are now based in the Chalke Valley. They are keen to express their gratitude and also to display and sell items to raise awareness of their country’s continuing plight.
Visitors can do their own block printing (vybiyka), practise embroidery and taste special occasion dumplings (varenyky). The Ukrainians are the only unwilling living historians at the festival, their appearance here, and the relevant talks on Ukraine coming later in the week, act as significant reminder of the problems Europe is facing today, somewhat overshadowed at present by the conflict in the Middle East.
It was a great treat to enjoy the last event of the day - Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook talking about the origin of their hugely successful podcast The Rest is History, described as the 'Taylor Swift' of podcasts. They claim not to take themselves or their subject matter too seriously, but in fact their gentle banter and wacky observations are deeply rooted in academic knowledge and historical analysis. They succeed largely because of their ability to “get into the heads of the age” and enjoy the “otherness” of the past. It is no surprise that they have a huge following in the USA as well as Britain.
The festival screened the England match as the sun set on another fantastic day of history, and the bar was filled with visitors and re-enactors all enjoying a few drinks; the beautiful landscape providing welcome distraction from what has since been described as one of the most boring England matches in history.
DAY ONE
Finally, after a year's wait, our favourite festival is back. Re-branded but still comfortingly familiar, the beautiful Chalke valley will spend the next week as home to 30,000 visitors, living historians, speakers, volunteers, and staff. An important traditional feature is that the sun is back, and promises to keep shining for (most) of the week. The volunteers, many fresh from A- Level History, are here to conduct visitors to their seats. The site staff are poised with litter pickers, rarely needed in this environmentally conscious gathering. The military hardware is assembling, ready to demonstrate its might, and the re-enactors are setting up their stalls.
Today and tomorrow, the site is host to the schools, who come for a day of education and fun, listening to some of the biggest names in history give talks on relevant A-Level and GCSE subjects. Children also get a chance to try firing guns, arrows, exploring tanks, going through the famous Trench Experience, learning about the exploits of the SOE, and so much more.
Groups of kids between talks visit the various stands to learn about ancient crafts, or gather for group shots around the newly installed CHALKE which stands over the valley, ready to go on their Instagram accounts. In the soporific heat, the odd teenager languishes on a picnic table, 1940s music washing over him from a nearby tent whilst over the tannoy, announcements tell others to hurry back to their coach before it leaves without them.
By about 4 o'clock, the last of the kids have gone back to their schools for the day, and the public arrive for the first of the paid talks. This year, the festival has fewer paid talks, with only two tents reserved for them, instead they have opened up the festival so that much more is included in the single day ticket, with more talks and activities on offer for everyone. For the talks, the traditional Hiscox tent is joined by the new Spiegeltent, a truly wonderful addition to the site.
Spiegeltents (mirror tents) are traditional wooden and canvas touring tents, originating in Belgium in the late 19th century, with very few remaining. The one which has set up camp in the Chalke Valley is one of the most elaborate and lavishly decorated in existence.
This amazing structure has wooden floorboards, ornate blue and gold carved walls and columns, purple drapes hanging from the ceiling which has an atrium of red and green stained glass windows with mirrors all around the walls and even on the columns and decorations. Three painted cherubs preside high over the audience at the pinnacle of the tent. It is a fabulous place to listen to history.
Its inaugural public talk was on Anne Boleyn, by author Estelle Paranque in conversation with Shalina Patel. She talked about her recently published book which looked at the well told story of Anne Boleyn through a new lens, that of the French angle of her story.
She didn't even try to hide her (perfectly valid) disdain for Henry VIII, telling how he destroyed Anne's family, how he mistreated Anne, how the 17 'love' letters we still have between them are in fact 'lust' letters, because, "you don't kill someone you love".
She described an incident that got Anne into a lot of trouble: Anne was talking to the French Ambassador and saw Henry flirting with another woman, which caused her to laugh out loud. The ambassador thought she was mocking him, and told her off, saying that her husband can do what he wants, a Queen should be obedient and submissive. Anne was far ahead of her time, a modern woman in post-medieval age, and in her fascinating talk, Estelle made her contempt for the way she was treated very clear.
The opening talk in the Hiscox Tent was Stalin: The Impossible Alliance That Won The War by Giles Milton, whose book is currently being serialised on Radio 4. His talk focused on the utter improbability of any kind of understanding between the Communist-hating Churchill and the mass murderer dictator Stalin. Using unpublished diaries, letters and secret reports, he explained how an unlikely wealthy trio of the American, Averell Harriman, his daughter Kathy and the quirky Archie Clark Kerr all negotiated with Stalin and the Kremlin’s wily operators to bring about the essential partnership that eventually led to the defeat of Hitler. The newly discovered documents also revealed how the three knew early on of Stalin’s plans for domination of Eastern Europe once the war was over.
Disappointingly but understandably, Robert Peston could not put in a personal appearance as ITV needed him for an election broadcast, but he had pre-recorded a conversation based on his book Bust: Saving the Economy, Democracy and our Sanity with Fred Casella. He sees the coming election as the weirdest he has ever covered, with the ruling party in effect conceding defeat before polling day. He briefly outlined the internal and external shocks that have shaken the current government, and told us there was hope as long as the incoming administration made bold decisions on development projects, unequal distribution of wealth, welfare, education and governance. It made for compelling listening, especially so near to the country casting its collective vote.
The talks are off to a stellar start, which bodes well for the week ahead.
There is a sense of anticipation about the site. For now, the Ferris wheel and helter-skelter remain silent, it won't be until towards the end of the week when they will be accompanied by screams and laughter. Areas of the site remain untouched, waiting for the living historians who will slowly arrive over the week, filling up the site with white canvas tents, colourful uniforms, the smells of food being cooked over open fires and the echoes of gunshot and canons throughout the valley.
Tomorrow is another day for schools, with more public talks in the early evening, and on Wednesday is the first of the full days of public talks throughout the day.
Many have sold out but there are still some tickets for sale, and now is the time to get them before they all go. The forecast is impressive for the week ahead, the site is as glorious as ever and there is so much to see and do.
For those who can't make it, the festival has set up the Chalke History Club which provides exclusive access to the best talks from this and previous festivals, live online talks as well as other assorted perks. For those that can make it, membership gives you priority booking, money off, welcome drinks and more.
The whole festival is a charity with the mission to educate children about history, and all money received goes directly to the charitable foundation. Find out more about memberships at the Chalke History Club.
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