Lest We Forget: VE Day
Join us for an incredibly special event to commemorate VE Day.
'Travel, memory and landscape are beguilingly blended in Dunlop’s fabulously readable journey through Britain and its history. Statues here aren’t lumps of metal or stone, but poignant and human stories.' Lucy Worsley
Acclaimed historian, Dr Tessa Dunlop, author of Lest We Forget, will be discussing inspirations and individuals behind our memorial-studded country. She'll be joined by local veterans who will also share their experiences of war monuments and what they can tell us about our history.
Lest We Forget: War and Peace in 100 British Monuments
A monumental new history of British conflict, publishing for the eightieth anniversary of VE Day
'An impressive audit of the monuments all around us and their often forgotten back-stories. A hundred individual histories, skillfully assembled, built into a poignant meditation on why they still matter.' David Olusoga
Published for the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War Two, this moving book examines the inspirations and individuals behind our memorial-studded country. Acclaimed historian Tessa Dunlop travels the length and breadth of the United Kingdom on a quest to uncover a story of national warring and national mourning, of fighting each other and of fighting together. In so doing, Lest We Forget summons a stellar cast of veterans, military experts and families of the fallen to reveal what our monuments and war heroes say about us, both then and now.
Why did Scotland take nearly 600 years to commemorate its most famous freedom fighter? When did Wellington become anti-establishment? Who are the Glorious Dead? Can the Cenotaph stay above politics? And how do you commemorate contested, asymmetrical wars?
Through veteran testimony and contemporary voices like Falklands hero Simon Weston and HRH The Duke of Kent, Tessa brings to life the pride and the pain involved in commemorating 2,000 years of war and peace across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales in a monumental British story.
Lest We Forget, freedom is not free.
'In this wonderfully incisive, moving and timely book about commemoration, Dunlop breathes life into 100 British monuments – some famous, others less so – that together reveal our island story. A stunning achievement.' Saul David
About Dr Tessa Dunlop
Dr Tessa Dunlop is an award-winning broadcaster, historian, and author. Her previous books include Sunday Times best-selling The Century Girls, The Bletchley Girls, Army Girls and Elizabeth and Philip. She has been featured in numerous historical and royal documentaries on the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 and is the co-host of the podcast Where Politics Meets History. Tessa started life in the Central Highlands of Scotland and now lives in London with her family.