Author and academic Dr Tony Cowan talks about his recent book, Holding Out. This book examines German operational command during a critical phase of the First World War from November 1916 to the eve of the third battle of Ypres. The situation faced by the German army on the Western Front in 1917 was very different from the one anticipated in pre-war doctrine and Holding Out examines how German commanders and staff officers adapted.  Tony Cowan analyses key command tasks to get under the skin of the army's command culture, internal politics and battle management systems from co-ordinating the troops, matériel and different levels of command needed to fight a modern battle to continuously learning and applying lessons from the ever-changing Western Front. His detailed analysis of the German defeat of the 1917 Entente spring offensive sheds new light on how the army and Germany were able to hold out so long during the war against increasing odds. This is published by CUP. Tony is a retired diplomat and member of the British Commission for Military History, Society of Military History and Western Front Association. He co-edited a translation of the German official monograph on the battle of Amiens (2019).

Historian, teacher and author Peter Welsh talks about his research into the Third Earl of Durham during the Great War. John George Lambton, 3rd Earl of Durham (1855-1928), was the eldest twin son of George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham, and his wife Lady Beatrix Frances, daughter of James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Abercorn. His grandfather was the statesman and colonial administrator, John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, and his great-grandfather was Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey. Peter talks about his Great War activities that included promoting local recruitment, supporting horse racing and engaging in all types of war work.

Dr Sofya Anisimova talks about Russian military strategy during the Great War. She is a post doctoral researcher at University College Dublin in Ireland. Sofya examines the military strategy pursued by Russia. She talks about the state of Russian planning before 1914, how they perceived the nature of war and strategy during 1914 to 1917.

Dr Jenny Macleod, Senior Lecturer in 20th Century History at the University of Hull, talks about the 1922 Chanak Crisis and the actions of Lloyd George to try and solve the crisis with reference to the Great War. The Chanak Crisis was a war scare in September 1922 between the United Kingdom and the Government of the Grand National Assembly in Turkey. The crisis was caused by Turkish efforts to push the Greek armies out of Turkey and restore Turkish rule in the Allied-occupied territories, primarily in Constantinople (now Istanbul) and Eastern Thrace. Turkish troops marched against British and French positions in the Dardanelles neutral zone. For a time, war between Britain and Turkey seemed possible, but Canada refused to agree as did France and Italy. British public opinion did not want a war. The British military did not either, and the top general on the scene, Sir Charles Harington, refused to relay an ultimatum to the Turks because he counted on a negotiated settlement.