BLUE SHIELD UNITED KINGDOM CONFLICT AND MILITARY ACTIVITY WORKING GROUP WEBINAR SERIES |
Are you a UK heritage professional?
Are you free Friday lunchtimes? The BSUK Conflict & Military Activity Working Group is hosting a free series of webinars about conflict and the risks to UK heritage, your obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict - and how you can prepare your institutions for these risks. It will be hosted on
All are welcome to attend, but especially heritage professionals, students, and members of the armed services. The link to register can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/whZtmimcXn |
Schedule
Friday, March 21: Emma Cunliffe, Protecting Culture in Conflict: A UK Perspective on the 1954 Hague Convention
Friday, April 25: Andy Davis, Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
Friday, May 23: Timothy Fagg, The Need for Resilience within the UK Heritage Sector During Times of Conflict
Friday, June 20: Brittni Bradford, Rethinking Heritage Protection in the UK: The 1954 Hague Convention and Its Second Protocol
Friday, July 18: Nigel Pollard, Protecting Domestic Cultural Property in Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Britain and Italy in the Second World War
Friday, April 25: Andy Davis, Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
Friday, May 23: Timothy Fagg, The Need for Resilience within the UK Heritage Sector During Times of Conflict
Friday, June 20: Brittni Bradford, Rethinking Heritage Protection in the UK: The 1954 Hague Convention and Its Second Protocol
Friday, July 18: Nigel Pollard, Protecting Domestic Cultural Property in Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Britain and Italy in the Second World War
Speakers
Emma Cunliffe, March 21
Protecting Culture in Conflict: A UK Perspective on the 1954 Hague Convention
What do you know about the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, an important part of UK law? You might think the UK won’t be in an active conflict in your lifetime, but we don’t know what the future holds. More importantly, the legal obligations and recommendations in the Convention provide a good practice framework for disaster risk reduction in many contexts, but are too often ignored. Whilst conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest pose their own unique set of challenges, many of which UK heritage institutions are completely unprepared for, the Convention provides a set of good practice recommendations for the UK heritage sector. This talk opens the Blue Shield UK 1954 Hague Convention webinar series (2025). Aimed primarily at UK heritage professionals, it will tell you about the Convention, and give a brief overview of the obligations under UK law, setting the scene for a year of expert webinars to provide the UK heritage sector with more information on this critical topic, as well as introducing Blue Shield United Kingdom, the UK branch of an international NGO dedicated to the protection of heritage in conflict and disaster.
Dr Emma Cunliffe is a Senior Research Associate within the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University, and a member of the Secretariat of Blue Shield International. She is a Fellow of the Newcastle University Policy Academy, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Emma has been actively involved with BSUK since its (re)founding in 2012. She served as Secretary for much of that time until stepping down in 2023, staying on as a Member. She has over a decade of experience in researching heritage protection and destruction and international law, particularly the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, lobbying for ratification and better implementation of international law and carrying out projects with partners on the ground. She carries out military training in CPP around the world. In the UK, she has been an active contributor to policy and lobbying regarding UK implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention, and to military training.
Protecting Culture in Conflict: A UK Perspective on the 1954 Hague Convention
What do you know about the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, an important part of UK law? You might think the UK won’t be in an active conflict in your lifetime, but we don’t know what the future holds. More importantly, the legal obligations and recommendations in the Convention provide a good practice framework for disaster risk reduction in many contexts, but are too often ignored. Whilst conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest pose their own unique set of challenges, many of which UK heritage institutions are completely unprepared for, the Convention provides a set of good practice recommendations for the UK heritage sector. This talk opens the Blue Shield UK 1954 Hague Convention webinar series (2025). Aimed primarily at UK heritage professionals, it will tell you about the Convention, and give a brief overview of the obligations under UK law, setting the scene for a year of expert webinars to provide the UK heritage sector with more information on this critical topic, as well as introducing Blue Shield United Kingdom, the UK branch of an international NGO dedicated to the protection of heritage in conflict and disaster.
Dr Emma Cunliffe is a Senior Research Associate within the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace at Newcastle University, and a member of the Secretariat of Blue Shield International. She is a Fellow of the Newcastle University Policy Academy, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. Emma has been actively involved with BSUK since its (re)founding in 2012. She served as Secretary for much of that time until stepping down in 2023, staying on as a Member. She has over a decade of experience in researching heritage protection and destruction and international law, particularly the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, lobbying for ratification and better implementation of international law and carrying out projects with partners on the ground. She carries out military training in CPP around the world. In the UK, she has been an active contributor to policy and lobbying regarding UK implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention, and to military training.
Andy Davis, April 25
Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
This webinar will examine some of the threat sources that are impacting the cultural and heritage sectors across the UK and internationally including from organised crime, insider threats, terrorists and protesters. It will discuss the current security situation and steps that are or can be taken to proactively reduce and manage the risks the different threat sources pose. The remaining time will then be spent in a Q&A session.
Andy Davis is the Managing Director of Trident Manor Limited, a security, risk and crisis management consultancy, based in the northeast of England.
His security background stems from intelligence and security work within the military and the police, time as a diplomat responsible for the protection of governmental assets, and in the corporate sector.
He holds MSc. in Security and Risk Management, is a Chartered Security Professional, a Fellow of the Security Institute, and a Certified Protection Professional.
He has led on the establishment of Trident Manor’s Cultural Protection Services (CPS) which are now delivered globally to archives, museums, and other cultural venues. Andy has led cultural protection support for governmental bodies, national museum groups, and small independent to cultural venues. He established Trident Manor Training Academy which is believed to be the only training provider of CPD accredited cultural protection programmes in the UK.
Andy and the Trident Manor team continue to support the global cultural sector through ongoing social outreach projects aimed at protecting and preserving cultural heritage for future generations.
Current threats facing the Cultural Heritage Sectors
This webinar will examine some of the threat sources that are impacting the cultural and heritage sectors across the UK and internationally including from organised crime, insider threats, terrorists and protesters. It will discuss the current security situation and steps that are or can be taken to proactively reduce and manage the risks the different threat sources pose. The remaining time will then be spent in a Q&A session.
Andy Davis is the Managing Director of Trident Manor Limited, a security, risk and crisis management consultancy, based in the northeast of England.
His security background stems from intelligence and security work within the military and the police, time as a diplomat responsible for the protection of governmental assets, and in the corporate sector.
He holds MSc. in Security and Risk Management, is a Chartered Security Professional, a Fellow of the Security Institute, and a Certified Protection Professional.
He has led on the establishment of Trident Manor’s Cultural Protection Services (CPS) which are now delivered globally to archives, museums, and other cultural venues. Andy has led cultural protection support for governmental bodies, national museum groups, and small independent to cultural venues. He established Trident Manor Training Academy which is believed to be the only training provider of CPD accredited cultural protection programmes in the UK.
Andy and the Trident Manor team continue to support the global cultural sector through ongoing social outreach projects aimed at protecting and preserving cultural heritage for future generations.
Timothy Fagg, May 23
The Need for Resilience within the Heritage Sector During Times of Conflict
The UK heritage sector faces ever increasing threats if not from conflict but also wider threats such as cyber attacks and climate change. There is a need to improve emergency planning and reassess the assumptions that inform emergency planning to better increase resilience amongst the heritage sector. A more holistic view should be taken where the usual mechanisms for support may not be available, emergency’s may be compounding and then considering the heritage sectors potential role in supporting UK society for success.
Tim studied civil engineering and surveying and then completed a MSc in Historic Building Conservation both at the University of Portsmouth. Since 2016 he has worked in the Heritage Sector as a project manager delivering conservation projects with both English Heritage and the National Trust. He has now taken up the position of Head of Projects at Portsmouth Historic Quarter, the charitable trust which looks after this Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth.
Tim joined the Army Reserve in 2011 with Southampton UOTC before transferring into 3 PWRR where he served as an Army Reserve infantry solider. In 2018 Tim was successful in his application for the newly formed CPPU and completed the inaugural Special to Arms course shortly after. He commissioned as Captain in the General Service Corp in Oct 2021 and has since undertaken the Human Security Advisor training and completed the US Army’s Ancient Monument Officer Training Programme.
The Need for Resilience within the Heritage Sector During Times of Conflict
The UK heritage sector faces ever increasing threats if not from conflict but also wider threats such as cyber attacks and climate change. There is a need to improve emergency planning and reassess the assumptions that inform emergency planning to better increase resilience amongst the heritage sector. A more holistic view should be taken where the usual mechanisms for support may not be available, emergency’s may be compounding and then considering the heritage sectors potential role in supporting UK society for success.
Tim studied civil engineering and surveying and then completed a MSc in Historic Building Conservation both at the University of Portsmouth. Since 2016 he has worked in the Heritage Sector as a project manager delivering conservation projects with both English Heritage and the National Trust. He has now taken up the position of Head of Projects at Portsmouth Historic Quarter, the charitable trust which looks after this Historic Dockyard at Portsmouth.
Tim joined the Army Reserve in 2011 with Southampton UOTC before transferring into 3 PWRR where he served as an Army Reserve infantry solider. In 2018 Tim was successful in his application for the newly formed CPPU and completed the inaugural Special to Arms course shortly after. He commissioned as Captain in the General Service Corp in Oct 2021 and has since undertaken the Human Security Advisor training and completed the US Army’s Ancient Monument Officer Training Programme.
Brittni Bradford, June 20
Rethinking Heritage Protection in the UK: The 1954 Hague Convention and Its Second Protocol
Although the UK ratified the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols in 2017, many stakeholders remain unfamiliar with these legal instruments and their domestic implications. This event offers a concise introduction to key elements of the 1954 Convention and its Second Protocol, focusing on their significance for cultural property protection in the UK. It also explores how individual organisations can take proactive steps to support national safeguarding efforts, including legislative recommendations and actor-level considerations for implementing protection measures. In doing so, this session highlights the growing importance of the Convention's framework for protecting UK heritage in the event of armed conflict and encourages greater stakeholder awareness to support more effective implementation in the future.
Dr Brittni Bradford is a researcher in cultural property protection at Newcastle University. Her work focuses on the use of digital geospatial (GIS) mapping to support heritage protection, including the proactive domestic implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols, emergency planning and preparedness, and risk and damage assessment related to armed conflict and climate change. She is an active member of the UK Blue Shield working groups on Emergency Planning & Response, Armed Conflict, and Climate Change. Her background includes experience in museum collections management and emergency planning in Florida (USA), as well as archaeological fieldwork. She holds a PhD from Newcastle University, an MA in Museum and Artefact Studies from Durham University, and a BA in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University of South Florida.
Rethinking Heritage Protection in the UK: The 1954 Hague Convention and Its Second Protocol
Although the UK ratified the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols in 2017, many stakeholders remain unfamiliar with these legal instruments and their domestic implications. This event offers a concise introduction to key elements of the 1954 Convention and its Second Protocol, focusing on their significance for cultural property protection in the UK. It also explores how individual organisations can take proactive steps to support national safeguarding efforts, including legislative recommendations and actor-level considerations for implementing protection measures. In doing so, this session highlights the growing importance of the Convention's framework for protecting UK heritage in the event of armed conflict and encourages greater stakeholder awareness to support more effective implementation in the future.
Dr Brittni Bradford is a researcher in cultural property protection at Newcastle University. Her work focuses on the use of digital geospatial (GIS) mapping to support heritage protection, including the proactive domestic implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention and its Protocols, emergency planning and preparedness, and risk and damage assessment related to armed conflict and climate change. She is an active member of the UK Blue Shield working groups on Emergency Planning & Response, Armed Conflict, and Climate Change. Her background includes experience in museum collections management and emergency planning in Florida (USA), as well as archaeological fieldwork. She holds a PhD from Newcastle University, an MA in Museum and Artefact Studies from Durham University, and a BA in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University of South Florida.
Nigel Pollard, July 18
Protecting Domestic Cultural Property in Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Britain and Italy in the Second World War
The Second World War saw efforts to protect cultural heritage put into practice by national and regional authorities in most combatant countries. This webinar examines some of those policies and protective activities, with particular emphasis on the UK and Italy, and considers what lessons might be learned from that wartime experience.
Nigel Pollard is an academic whose research focuses on treatment and perceptions of cultural heritage in the Second World War and the application of that historical experience to contemporary and future conflicts.
Nigel has been a member of UK Blue Shield since 2012. He is a professor in the Department of History, Heritage and Classics at Swansea University in Wales. He trained as an archaeologist, undertook fieldwork in Italy, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and the UK and published on Roman Italy, Africa and the eastern frontier of the Roman empire. Since 2011 his main area of research has been the treatment of cultural heritage in the Second World War, especially Italy, and his monograph Bombing Pompeii: World Heritage and Military Necessity was published by The University of Michigan Press in 2020. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
He was a member of the UK military Cultural Property Protection Working Group from 2015 to 2019, and subsequently contributed to the training of the UK military Cultural property Protection Unit. He participated in the consultation on the UK Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Act 2017.
Protecting Domestic Cultural Property in Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Britain and Italy in the Second World War
The Second World War saw efforts to protect cultural heritage put into practice by national and regional authorities in most combatant countries. This webinar examines some of those policies and protective activities, with particular emphasis on the UK and Italy, and considers what lessons might be learned from that wartime experience.
Nigel Pollard is an academic whose research focuses on treatment and perceptions of cultural heritage in the Second World War and the application of that historical experience to contemporary and future conflicts.
Nigel has been a member of UK Blue Shield since 2012. He is a professor in the Department of History, Heritage and Classics at Swansea University in Wales. He trained as an archaeologist, undertook fieldwork in Italy, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and the UK and published on Roman Italy, Africa and the eastern frontier of the Roman empire. Since 2011 his main area of research has been the treatment of cultural heritage in the Second World War, especially Italy, and his monograph Bombing Pompeii: World Heritage and Military Necessity was published by The University of Michigan Press in 2020. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
He was a member of the UK military Cultural Property Protection Working Group from 2015 to 2019, and subsequently contributed to the training of the UK military Cultural property Protection Unit. He participated in the consultation on the UK Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Act 2017.