Andrew WM Smith
@smidbob.bsky.social
Historian of Modern France at QMUL
Got the first Eurostar over to Paris to teach at ULIP today. We'll be going to the Musée de l'homme, then in class we'll be talking about the 1956 Congress of black writers and artists
November 21, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Got the first Eurostar over to Paris to teach at ULIP today. We'll be going to the Musée de l'homme, then in class we'll be talking about the 1956 Congress of black writers and artists
The act of commitment that closes the ceremony is a useful reminder of the duties that come with commemoration and the challenge to ensure that action follows fine words
November 11, 2025 at 11:29 AM
The act of commitment that closes the ceremony is a useful reminder of the duties that come with commemoration and the challenge to ensure that action follows fine words
There was a moving remembrance ceremony in the Octagon library today @qmul.bsky.social, remembering the stories of students who fell in both world wars and all those affected by conflict
November 11, 2025 at 11:29 AM
There was a moving remembrance ceremony in the Octagon library today @qmul.bsky.social, remembering the stories of students who fell in both world wars and all those affected by conflict
When I visited Duisans that summer while in France in 2022, I wasn't too sure what you're meant to do, so tried to talk as if to the person buried there and spoke aloud the Gaelic inscription from that Macrae war memorial by Clachan Duich: gus am bris an là
November 11, 2025 at 10:01 AM
When I visited Duisans that summer while in France in 2022, I wasn't too sure what you're meant to do, so tried to talk as if to the person buried there and spoke aloud the Gaelic inscription from that Macrae war memorial by Clachan Duich: gus am bris an là
To bring it a bit closer to home, here's a photo of me (the glaikit looking wean), my Mum, my Gran, and my Great-Granny Macrae (née Christina McAskill) taken up in Ault a'chruinn
November 11, 2025 at 10:01 AM
To bring it a bit closer to home, here's a photo of me (the glaikit looking wean), my Mum, my Gran, and my Great-Granny Macrae (née Christina McAskill) taken up in Ault a'chruinn
Christina McAskill married Alexander Macrae, also of Kintail. Here are both their passes from living in the area during the First World War, when it was a Special Military Area. Sandy has a photo, Christina a description
November 11, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Christina McAskill married Alexander Macrae, also of Kintail. Here are both their passes from living in the area during the First World War, when it was a Special Military Area. Sandy has a photo, Christina a description
My Gran has a family photo from 1905 that shows them in front of the house at Beolary, Kintail. Allan is the boy on the far left, the girl with short hair to the right of the baby is Christina McAskill, my Granny Macrae (aged 8 in the photo)
November 11, 2025 at 10:01 AM
My Gran has a family photo from 1905 that shows them in front of the house at Beolary, Kintail. Allan is the boy on the far left, the girl with short hair to the right of the baby is Christina McAskill, my Granny Macrae (aged 8 in the photo)
Back in 2022, I went to Duisans graveyard near Arras to visit the grave of my Gran's uncle Allan McAskill, killed on 13th April 1917 while fighting with 6th Cameron Highlanders. His siblings back in Kintail were given Gaelic Bibles from his remaining regimental pay in his memory
#armistice
#armistice
November 11, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Back in 2022, I went to Duisans graveyard near Arras to visit the grave of my Gran's uncle Allan McAskill, killed on 13th April 1917 while fighting with 6th Cameron Highlanders. His siblings back in Kintail were given Gaelic Bibles from his remaining regimental pay in his memory
#armistice
#armistice
I was invited along to attend the commemorative Vitrine unveiling ceremony at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle in South Ken. Brigitte Williams, pictured laying a wreath with the ambassador, has curated a display on the Volontaires féminines of Free France 🗃 #skystorians
November 10, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I was invited along to attend the commemorative Vitrine unveiling ceremony at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle in South Ken. Brigitte Williams, pictured laying a wreath with the ambassador, has curated a display on the Volontaires féminines of Free France 🗃 #skystorians
Those were some excellent ones! Thank you again for all your creative imaginings with it! They told me they wanted clearer 'protesty' images, as they reckoned the sheep might not be obvious. Ba(a)h!
Here's the full cover proof they sent a couple of days ago in any case
Here's the full cover proof they sent a couple of days ago in any case
October 21, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Those were some excellent ones! Thank you again for all your creative imaginings with it! They told me they wanted clearer 'protesty' images, as they reckoned the sheep might not be obvious. Ba(a)h!
Here's the full cover proof they sent a couple of days ago in any case
Here's the full cover proof they sent a couple of days ago in any case
Been out this morning on a site visit and meeting others involved with the campaign to save the old Air Control Tower at former RAF Tangmere
www.savetangmeretower.com
🗃 #skystorians
www.savetangmeretower.com
🗃 #skystorians
October 5, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Been out this morning on a site visit and meeting others involved with the campaign to save the old Air Control Tower at former RAF Tangmere
www.savetangmeretower.com
🗃 #skystorians
www.savetangmeretower.com
🗃 #skystorians
Farming protests today across France, with eyes firmly focussed on the Americas (north & south). Tariffs on wines & spirits imposed by USA hitting winegrowers, while Mercosur agreement between S American & Europe threatens unfair competition (esp use of banned pesticides & environmental controls)
September 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Farming protests today across France, with eyes firmly focussed on the Americas (north & south). Tariffs on wines & spirits imposed by USA hitting winegrowers, while Mercosur agreement between S American & Europe threatens unfair competition (esp use of banned pesticides & environmental controls)
Amused by the algorithmically suggested playlist on Spotify this morning
September 25, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Amused by the algorithmically suggested playlist on Spotify this morning
Book proofs! Exciting to see the next stage of my book 'Make cheese not war: Transnational resistance and the Larzac in modern France' with @manchesterup.bsky.social
Trace globe-spanning networks of rough-handed solidarity forged around this 1970s land struggle
🗃️ #FrenchHistory #SkyStorians
Trace globe-spanning networks of rough-handed solidarity forged around this 1970s land struggle
🗃️ #FrenchHistory #SkyStorians
September 11, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Book proofs! Exciting to see the next stage of my book 'Make cheese not war: Transnational resistance and the Larzac in modern France' with @manchesterup.bsky.social
Trace globe-spanning networks of rough-handed solidarity forged around this 1970s land struggle
🗃️ #FrenchHistory #SkyStorians
Trace globe-spanning networks of rough-handed solidarity forged around this 1970s land struggle
🗃️ #FrenchHistory #SkyStorians
That was an interesting one! Pre-booked on France24 to talk about the 10Sept protests at mid-day, but it quickly became a live reaction to the PM handover speeches as they emerged from the Matignon
September 10, 2025 at 11:14 AM
That was an interesting one! Pre-booked on France24 to talk about the 10Sept protests at mid-day, but it quickly became a live reaction to the PM handover speeches as they emerged from the Matignon
I once fed these guys at a wildlife park. It was brilliant. The keeper was very insistent that they would very much just want the fruit, but they very much had to eat some vegetables too. It was a hilarious struggle
August 22, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I once fed these guys at a wildlife park. It was brilliant. The keeper was very insistent that they would very much just want the fruit, but they very much had to eat some vegetables too. It was a hilarious struggle
Graduation day! It's a doubler for me at QMUL: I'll start by trying to hold back tears as our first ever cohort of BA Liberal Arts graduates crosses the stage, before congratulating our wonderful Historians!
July 29, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Graduation day! It's a doubler for me at QMUL: I'll start by trying to hold back tears as our first ever cohort of BA Liberal Arts graduates crosses the stage, before congratulating our wonderful Historians!
This Rodin sculpture in the Musée d'Orsay is called 'La Pensée' and apparently the contrast between the masterful feminine face and the brute marble connotes something of the complexity of thought. I'm afraid all I ended up thinking of was this bloke famously bathing in his wheely bin
July 20, 2025 at 7:13 PM
This Rodin sculpture in the Musée d'Orsay is called 'La Pensée' and apparently the contrast between the masterful feminine face and the brute marble connotes something of the complexity of thought. I'm afraid all I ended up thinking of was this bloke famously bathing in his wheely bin
Today was the last day of #GCFHSresist. This morning I went to a great journals roundtable, followed by a panel which explored visual culture & mobility. Really enjoyed hearing about Soldier photographers in Algeria & references to Joan of Arc
July 19, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Today was the last day of #GCFHSresist. This morning I went to a great journals roundtable, followed by a panel which explored visual culture & mobility. Really enjoyed hearing about Soldier photographers in Algeria & references to Joan of Arc
As atonement for last night's excesses, I'm up early doing laundry at the hotel before today's panels!
July 19, 2025 at 6:24 AM
As atonement for last night's excesses, I'm up early doing laundry at the hotel before today's panels!
The last #GCFHSResist panel yesterday was a creative engagement with archives of resistance to recover silenced voices and transmit memory
July 19, 2025 at 6:22 AM
The last #GCFHSResist panel yesterday was a creative engagement with archives of resistance to recover silenced voices and transmit memory
Then back to #GCFHSResist for a couple of great plenaries. First up was Stéphane Gerson's reflective piece on his grandmother's storytelling which was theoretically rich as well as a brilliant story!
July 19, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Then back to #GCFHSResist for a couple of great plenaries. First up was Stéphane Gerson's reflective piece on his grandmother's storytelling which was theoretically rich as well as a brilliant story!
Yesterday at #GCFHSResist, I started the day with a panel on media. I really enjoyed hearing about the role of radio and ritual in sustaining wartime memories. Likewise, really interesting stuff on Russian emigres in Paris in 1917 (and the new newspaper is they launched every 5 minutes!)
July 19, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Yesterday at #GCFHSResist, I started the day with a panel on media. I really enjoyed hearing about the role of radio and ritual in sustaining wartime memories. Likewise, really interesting stuff on Russian emigres in Paris in 1917 (and the new newspaper is they launched every 5 minutes!)
The last #GCFHSResist panel of the day was a bit of a palate cleanser, listening to discussions of French rap through lenses of memory agents and postcolonial soundscapes, with excellent paper from @redgillett.bsky.social
July 18, 2025 at 8:02 AM
The last #GCFHSResist panel of the day was a bit of a palate cleanser, listening to discussions of French rap through lenses of memory agents and postcolonial soundscapes, with excellent paper from @redgillett.bsky.social
The first panel I attended yesterday at #GCFHSResist was a brilliant paper by Daniel Gordon on the anti-fascist action in June 1973 and its international threads. Dalil Ferguensis spoke about fascinating project of resisting bidonville clearances
July 18, 2025 at 8:02 AM
The first panel I attended yesterday at #GCFHSResist was a brilliant paper by Daniel Gordon on the anti-fascist action in June 1973 and its international threads. Dalil Ferguensis spoke about fascinating project of resisting bidonville clearances