Lunchtime Lecture: The Battle of the Somme

Paul Garlington is coming to The Studio at The Harris on Wednesday 18 November for a lunchtime talk marking 110 years since the Battle of the Somme. He's a battlefield historian, so this is his territory, and he's not just going to stick to the dates and tactics you'd find in a textbook. The whole thing is built around the human side of the conflict, the stories that come out of the mud and the pivotal moments that shaped the battle.

One of the things he's focusing on is separating fact from fiction. There are a lot of long-standing myths about the Somme that have stuck around for decades, and he'll be spending time debunking them, sorting out what actually happened from the stories that grew up around the event. It's that kind of thing that makes a history talk work — when you walk away knowing a bit more about why we remember things the way we do, rather than just a list of names and numbers.

There's a local angle to it too. Garlington will be drawing out the Preston connections that bring the whole thing home to the area, so it's not just a distant event from a century ago — it's something that touched people right here. The session is aimed at adults, and it runs from 11am to 12.30pm, so it's a proper lunchtime slot that fits into a working day if you're around the city centre.

It's free, though you'll need a ticket to get in. If you're into history, or just fancy a bit of something different in the middle of a Wednesday, it's a good one to have on the radar. The Studio is inside The Harris, and the talk runs from 11am to 12.30pm on Wednesday 18 November.