University of Exeter / NMMC Masterclass

9.30am: Welcome and refreshments (tea and coffee provided)

10am: A Global History of 1940 (Catriona Pennell)

The 1940 Fall of France was not just a French or European crisis; it had global ramifications. This lecture will place the capitulation of France, and the year 1940, in a global context before exploring its worldwide repercussions, not only in terms of Britain and France’s colonial power but also its impact on American and Axis wartime strategies.

11am: Refreshment break (tea and coffee provided)

11:15am: 1940 and the creation of the SOE base on the Helford River (NMMC project team)

This session will cover the challenge of researching clandestine seaborne operations to Brittainy, misinformation and misrepresentation, the Secret Intelligence Service and how revelations from primary sources are shaping the current museum project to recreate an SOE surf boat.

12:15pm: Lunch break (sandwich lunch provided)

1:30pm: Britain’s War Machine (Richard Noakes)

This lecture will explore Britain’s industrial and technological capabilities before, during and after the Second World War. It will assess many of the myths about Britain’s defensive strengths and weaknesses and link these to imperial and wider global contexts.

2:30pm: Hand-on history: SOE, Operation Felicitate and the building of an authentic special operations surf boat (NMMC project team) 

This session will cover SIS work testing small boats for beach landings, the new surfboats that were developed (SN1 and SN2) and the story of Operation Felicitate, when the SIS called on the SOE for their help. Includes a practical, hands-on tour of the SN2 boat build in the Museum’s workshop.

3:30pm: Museum visit: The masterclass will conclude with an opportunity to explore the Museum at your own pace, reflecting on the knowledge you’ve gained through the masterclass encouraging you to look at the Museum’s collections in a different light.

5pm: Museum closes

These Masterclasses are run by scholars from the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus and curators from the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Experts in their fields, the speakers will provide lectures and a chance to engage in conversation about their specialist subject.

Richard Noakes

Richard Noakes is an Associate Professor of the History of Science and Technology.  Since starting at the University of Exeter in 2007 he has researched various aspects of science and technology in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including collaborative projects on telecommunications history with PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications and BT Archives.

Catriona Pennell

Catriona Pennell is a Professor of Modern History and Memory Studies at the University of Exeter, where she is also Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor Research and Impact, for the Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. She specialises in the history of 19th and 20th century Britain and Ireland with a particular focus on the relationship between war, empire, experience, and memory. She was an inaugural Imperial War Museums Associate at the IWM Institute and, over a career spanning 16 years, has worked closely with the Department for Education, the Ministry of Defence, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and the Falkland Islands Government Office.

Robert White

Bob White is the Boat Collection Manager at National Maritime Museum Cornwall, with overall responsibility for the curation, maintenance and display of the National Small Boat Collection. He is currently supporting a team of volunteers building a replica WW2 SOE surf boat in the museum’s on-site workshop.

Jonthan Griffin

Jonathan Griffin is ex-director of National Maritime Museum Cornwall and has been closely involved in the background research for the SOE surf boat project.

This event is suitable for anyone with a passion and enthusiasm for modern history. All you need to attend is a motivation to learn.

The masterclass includes four engaging lectures/workshops, each covering a different aspect of this key moment in Second World War history. There are also opportunities to meet fellow historical enthusiasts, curators and experts, and to explore the Museum.

Refreshments and lunch, as well as one-day’s Museum entry, are included in the ticket price.