Programme
A full programme will be published nearer the conference.
The conference organisers are proposing the following programme, which is subject to change.
Sunday 26 June: Welcome Dinner
Monday 17 June: Full day of papers
Tuesday 18 June: Half day of papers / Half day visit to Culloden
Wednesday 19 June: Full day tour of Great Glen
Thursday 20 June: Half day visit to Fort George / Half day papers / Conference Dinner
Friday 21 June: Full day of papers
The conference will provide delegates with the opportunity to visit some spectacular and breathtaking scenery during their stay in Scotland.
Culloden
The first field trip will see delegates visit Culloden Visitor Centre. The centre is situated next to the grounds of the historic Culloden Battle where, on 16 April 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) fought loyalist troops commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland. The battle lasted less than an hour with the Duke of Cumberland's troops crushing the Jacobites.
The Centre guides visitors through the stages of the battle - before, during and after - with stories from soldiers on both side of the battle; an interactive immersion film; an exhibition; an animated battlefield and reenactments. The finale is the opportunity to walk through the battlefield, immersing yourself in the story of the momentous day through an interactive guide; a truly special experience. It is hoped that the Visitor Centre will be providing the conference delegates with a talk from an expert on strategic battlefield planning.
Great Glen
This trip will allow delegates to travel along the Great Glen Geological Fault; a long strike-slip fault that runs through Scotland, which was formed some 200 million years ago and has been used throughout history as a military road. The Great Glen offers delegates the chance to visit more historical military points of interest.
Fort George
Following the 1746 defeat at Culloden of Bonnie Prince Charlie, George II created the ultimate defence against further Jacobite unrest. The result, Fort George, is the mightiest artillery fortification in Britain, if not Europe.
Its garrison buildings, artillery defences bristling with cannon, and superb collection of arms – including bayoneted muskets, pikes, swords and ammunition pouches – provide a fascinating insight into 18th century military life.
Positioned strategically on a promontory jutting into the Moray Firth, Fort George was intended as an impregnable army base – designed on a monumental scale using sophisticated defence standards. Today, it would cost nearly £1 billion. Within almost a mile of boundary walls was accommodation for a governor, officers, artillery detachment, and a 1600-strong infantry garrison. It also housed a magazine for 2,500 gunpowder barrels, ordnance and provision stores, a brewhouse and chapel.
Despite being open to the general public, the fort is still a working garrison with some several hundred soldiers on site at any given time.
The fort provides a stunning architectural building, steeped in military history and set in the heart of Scotland.
Visit the conference's Facebook page for photos taken at the conference reccy earlier in 2012.
