On the boundary Ising model with disorder operators

We extend the well-known method of calculating bulk correlation functions of the conformal Ising model via bosonisation to situations with boundaries. Oshikawa and Affleck have found the boundary states of two decoupled Ising models in terms of the orbifold of a single free boson compactified on a circle of radius r=1; we adapt their results to include disorder operators. Using these boundary states we calculate the expectation value of a single disorder field on a cylinder with free boundary conditions and show that in the appropriate limits we recover the standard and frustrated partition functions. We also show how to calculate Ising correlation functions on the upper half plane.Comment: 12 pages, Latex2e, 6 figure

The Somme - innocence lost

Lecture showing the effect of the Battle of the Somme with the focus on the Kent infantry regiment

Maidstone and the First World War: friendly alien recruitment and the military service convention

Maidstone was used as a training depot for thousands of volunteers and conscripts in the First World War, and was selected as a base for those recruits of Friendly Alien status. Their treatment by the Army and the reception they received from the local population are examined in this article

Review of Martin Sugarman, 'Jews in the Merchant Navy in the second world war - lost voices.'

Martin Sugarman's account provides a much needed record of the service of Jews in the Merchant Navy, reflecting the diversity and importance of British, allied and commonwealth merchant seaman to the war effort

Operation Market Garden - strategic masterstroke or battle of the egos?

In September 1944, the allies undertook the largest ever airborne operation, apparently in an effort to capitalise on the German withdrawal from France and Belgium and end the war in the west by encircling the Ruhr. But what really lay behind this most audacious and daring attempt to finish the war in 1944? Inter allied rivalry, at the highest levels of military command, and the pursuit of personal ambition, will be discussed to reveal some of the reasons for failure and the post war bitterness it engendered

The Royal Marines and the war at sea 1939-45

Talk to Historical Association members, 6th February 2020, Old Library Kent College Canterbury

Britain, Zionism, and the Jewish Legion

In the autumn of 1917, the British government committed itself to the 'Formation of Battalions for the Reception of friendly Alien Jews', an announcement that was followed just 7 weeks later, by the Balfour Declaration. In this article, which builds on the author's previous research into the Jewish Legion, the link between Britain and Zionism, in the context of the First World War, is reconsidered. By taking into account further secondary works, some written since the publication of 'The Jewish Legion and the First World War' in 2004, combined with a re-examination of archival sources, the roles of geopolitics, national interest and anti-Semitism are assessed for their relative importance. The influence of prominent personalities is also included, especially as personal relationships were exploited in the pursuit of policy, perhaps accounting for the ambiguities of the Balfour Declaration. Historians continue to debate the repercussions of the Declaration, whilst its consequences continue to influence contemporary events and international relations in the Middle East

Report on historical significance of Lydden Spout Battery

Report outlining desirability of National Trust acquisition of the Battery, on historical and heritage grounds

Canterbury catch club

The Canterbury Catch Club, founded in 1779, reflected the rise of the Gentlemen’s clubs in London. An ethos of ‘Cheerfulness and Good Humour, Friendship and a Love of Harmony’ was evident. Catch clubs promoted choral music and supported other choral performances, and acted as a meeting place and sounding board for the middle class business owners of the City. This lecture examines the influence and operation of this peculiarly English institution