painting of the Bad Penny bomber dropping food bundles over NetherlandsThe airdrop of food into Nazi-occupied Netherlands is the subject of a presentation this weekend during the Windsor Military Studies Conference.

Collaborative conference to focus on military studies

A UWindsor history instructor is among the featured presenters at the Windsor Military Studies Conference, February 6 and 7 at the Major F.A. Tilston VC Armoury. Justin Fantauzzo, a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of History, will discuss “The British Empire in the Middle East, 1914-18,” as the first presentation Saturday morning.

A keynote address by Andrew Iarocci of Western University, entitled “The Canadians at Second Ypres,” will open the conference at 7 p.m. Friday. Saturday’s sessions include a presentation on the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation, and one tracing the Windsor connection to efforts to alleviate famine by airdropping food into the country.

The annual conference, now in its 10th year, is a collaboration between the Humanities Research Group, the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, and Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. This year’s program also involves the HMCS Hunter, the Windsor Regiment and 31 Windsor Service Battalion.

The conference registration fee of $25, $10 for students, includes lunch Saturday. The armoury is located at 4007 Sandwich Street. Find more information, including a full itinerary and pre-registration details, on the conference website.