An extraordinary range of musical activities, both forced and voluntary, took place in the Nazi ghettos and camps, from the earliest internment centres established in 1933 until the liberation in 1945. The musical works these prisoners created are extraordinary documents from the time: fragments recovered from the rubble of war and genocide; monuments to the lives that were destroyed. In this talk, which will feature many film extracts, Shirli Gilbert, professor of Modern History at Southampton University with a specialism in Jewish History and particularly the Holocaust, will highlight original music from this period, including some rare post-war recordings. The songs offer rich insight into victims’ experiences, conveying the uncertain and shifting perspectives of prisoner communities as they made sense of lived reality.

Join Devon & Exeter Branch for lunch followed by a fascinating talk by Professor Richard Toye “Churchill’s Great Game”, rethinking the origins of the Cold War Richard Toye is Professor of Modern History at the University of Exeter. He is a specialist in the history of rhetoric and is the author of numerous articles and […]

Join Devon & Exeter Branch for a lunch followed by a talk on "Principles, Pragmatism and Politics - the making of public policy in the UK - and why it affects us all" by Professor Tony Stoller CBE. Professor Stoller graduated with degrees in both history and law from Cambridge. He has had many important […]

We regret that this event has been cancelled. Devon & Exeter Branch's annual Black Tie Dinner with a talk autobiographical talk from Billy “Scratch” Hitchen. At the end of the Easter holidays in 1963, Billy ‘Scratch’  Hitchen, instead of returning to school in Salcombe, having already been expelled by his mother, who was the head […]

We regret that this event has been cancelled. Join Devon & Exter Branch for Lunch followed by an informative talk on “The Public Service Role of the BBC in the Gathering and Broadcasting of News and Current Affairs” by Fran Unsworth. Francesca Mary ("Fran") Unsworth is a journalist and media executive. Fran began her broadcasting […]