The Hereford Military History Festival, an ambitious new addition to the UK’s cultural calendar, has announced the full programme for its debut festival, which will take place from Friday 26th — Sunday 28th September 2025.

The festival, which is made possible by headline sponsor allpay, will become a place for intelligent conversations about conflict, and the lessons the past holds for current moments of geopolitical instability. The inaugural programme combines a unique mix of historical insight into some of the world’s most devastating military events, local and regional stories from Herefordshire and beyond, and conversations around war in the 21st Century and the impact of conflicts on our lives today. Steeped in history, Hereford is the perfect setting for the new festival, having been a military stronghold for over two millennia — from Roman legions to the SAS.

New events announced today include: Award-winning authors Anne Sebba and Wendy Holden discuss their books on Auschwitz, exploring the tangled questions of moral complexity and the extraordinary lives of people in the death camp

Actor Larry Lamb will be sharing anecdotes and reading from a selection of his favourite war poems such as Kipling’s ‘Gunga Din’, along with an injection of his own personal poems which are sure to make you laugh and cry in equal measure

Author and podcaster Mark Lynas discusses his new book, Six Minutes to Winter, which explores the possibility of World War III, with 12,000 warheads in the arsenals of more than half a dozen countries. Are we standing on a nuclear knife edge?

Dr Victoria Taylor, an award-winning aviation historian, looks at the Luftwaffe’s historical role during the RAF’s ‘Finest Hour’ from a cartoonish antagonist to a multidimensional, flawed-yet-formidable opponent

Ex-diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey’s new book, The Spy and the Devil, is a riveting tale of espionage, intrigue, and the untold impact of one man’s secret mission on the course of history; a journey into the shadows of Nazi Germany

Chris Hunter gives gripping, first-hand insights into working for the bomb disposal unit of the British Army. Working in conflict zones such as Libya, Syria, and Iraq, he and his colleagues dismantled thousands of Islamic State IEDs

For the full 2025 programme, please visit the website: https://www.herefordmilitaryhistoryfestival.com

For tickets for all events, please visit: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/military-history-festival

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