As the Centennial commemoration of U.S. involvement in the war approaches, interest in the First World War is likely to increase. However, without giving the newly interested some tangible steps to “feed” their hunger for knowledge and networking interest in the topic could quickly fade. Luckily, there are organizations in the U.S. and world-wide that can help people learn more about the First World War. The March 6 blog post focused on the World War One Historical Association. This blog post will focus on The Western Front Association, East Coast Branch and its parent organization, The Western Front Association.
In the days before the world-wide web, organizations like these were essential institutions for information exchange and for networking. Today, they can still be useful in that regard. Under the leadership of Paul Cora and others the WFA East Coast Branch organizes two or three day-long symposiums on WW1. They also have a list of other projects to be accomplished during the Centennial years.
The Spring 2017 World War 1 History Symposium will take place on Saturday, June 17, at the Maryland War Memorial Building in downtown Baltimore, MD. Please download the flyer below for more information and make an effort to attend! The meetings draw quite a crowd from the D.C. and greater Atlantic Coast area. (Unfortunately, the Webmaster will be in France at that time.)
The U.K.-based Western Front Association was established in 1980 by military historian John Giles. It has grown to more than 6,500 members and it has a very active chapter base worldwide. It is a registered charity in the U.K. and is managed by an elected Executive Committee which is advised by a President. The association’s chapters host numerous meetings annually. It publishes two publications–each three times a year: “Stand To!,” a research-oriented journal, and “Bulletin,” a communication-oriented journal. It also organizes an annual symposium, battlefield tours, and other events. Finally, it is a great networking tool. For more details, please look at their website:
http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/
The Webmaster has been a member of both organizations; and he has met many wonderful and knowledgeable acquaintances and friends through them.
