Introducing myself
My love of history began at an early stage. By the age of five I was able to reel off the dates of all the kings and queens of England from Alfred the Great onwards, thanks to those two wonderful Ladybird books, Kings and Queens of England, Books 1 and 2. This is a feat I can still manage at four decades on!
History was my love at school, and I would spend my weekends poring over old maps of Hull and travelling all over East Yorkshire on my bike to visit sites of interest. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield in 1991 and went into a career teaching History in Secondary Schools. I organised trips for students locally, nationally and internationally and these will remain amongst the most fulfilling things I have done in life.
In 2006 by a complex twist of fate, I was given a collection of papers and memorabilia from my late father who had served in the Desert Rats during the Second World War. I felt I had finally found my vocation in life. I began a Masters degree with the Open University and then moved on to start a PhD on the connections between the Second World War and Christian culture in Britain. I plan to complete this in 2017.
In addition I was commissioned by the Bible Society to undertake research on the First World War, marking the centenary with a dedicated micro website about the importance of the Bible in war. From this has sprung further opportunities and my first book, Fight the Good Fight: Voices of Faith from the First World War, was recently published by Pen and Sword. It can be ordered online, or directly from me, personally inscribed and signed, by emailing johnbroom@aol.com.
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Fight-...
My wife, Dawn, and I travel the country visiting archives, churches and war memorials, seeking to dig out and bring together the wonderful stories of faith in wartime which are still out there. Oh, and we both hold down full-time jobs in education. In our spare time we run quite a lot.
A busy life is a happy one!
If you have any stories in your family or locally of people for whom faith was important during the wars of the twentieth century, please do get in touch at johnbroom@aol.com. I plan further research and publications in the coming years and passionately believe that no story should go unrecorded or untold.
John Broom
History was my love at school, and I would spend my weekends poring over old maps of Hull and travelling all over East Yorkshire on my bike to visit sites of interest. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield in 1991 and went into a career teaching History in Secondary Schools. I organised trips for students locally, nationally and internationally and these will remain amongst the most fulfilling things I have done in life.
In 2006 by a complex twist of fate, I was given a collection of papers and memorabilia from my late father who had served in the Desert Rats during the Second World War. I felt I had finally found my vocation in life. I began a Masters degree with the Open University and then moved on to start a PhD on the connections between the Second World War and Christian culture in Britain. I plan to complete this in 2017.
In addition I was commissioned by the Bible Society to undertake research on the First World War, marking the centenary with a dedicated micro website about the importance of the Bible in war. From this has sprung further opportunities and my first book, Fight the Good Fight: Voices of Faith from the First World War, was recently published by Pen and Sword. It can be ordered online, or directly from me, personally inscribed and signed, by emailing johnbroom@aol.com.
http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Fight-...
My wife, Dawn, and I travel the country visiting archives, churches and war memorials, seeking to dig out and bring together the wonderful stories of faith in wartime which are still out there. Oh, and we both hold down full-time jobs in education. In our spare time we run quite a lot.
A busy life is a happy one!
If you have any stories in your family or locally of people for whom faith was important during the wars of the twentieth century, please do get in touch at johnbroom@aol.com. I plan further research and publications in the coming years and passionately believe that no story should go unrecorded or untold.
John Broom
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