Photo Credit – Phil Watts
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.
Featuring internationally renowned writers and thinkers, the final series of events announced today includes Anna Sebba, Larry Lamb, Dr Victoria Taylor, Wendy Holden, Mark Lynas and Tim Willasey‑Wilsey. The rich and varied programme will provide a thorough exploration of global military history, showcasing key figures, human stories and the unusual aspects of war.
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
Founder and CEO Christian Dangerfield said: “It is very exciting to see the festival taking shape and to have had such a positive response already to some of the world-class authors and speakers we’ve invited to Hereford in September. Now that the details of all speakers are up on the website, audiences from near and far will be able to plan three days of fascinating and enriching military history – from ancient Rome to todays’s Ukraine – in one of Britain’s most historic cities. We are now working very hard on additional programming elements, such as showcasing Herefordshire’s wonderful food culture, our unique veterans programme and the incredible schools’ day on 26th September. All in all, we believe more strongly than ever that this inaugural festival will live up to our ambition of creating an outstanding and memorable experience which can be developed and strengthened in years to come. If I wasn’t involved, I would definitely be buying tickets now.”
Headline sponsor allpay said: “As a proud Herefordshire-based business, we are delighted to support the inaugural Hereford Military History Festival. This unique event not only celebrates our region’s deep-rooted military heritage but also creates an important space for thoughtful dialogue about the impact of conflict, past and present. At allpay, we believe in supporting initiatives that bring communities together and provoke meaningful conversation, values that are clearly at the heart of this exciting new festival.”
Speakers previously announced for 2025 include:
Philippe Sands will be discussing with Julia Wheeler his latest book, 38 LondresStreet, a blend of personal memoir, historical detective work and gripping courtroom drama which links former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet to a fugitive SS officer.
Sir Antony Beevor, the number one bestselling historian in Britain, talks to Major General Arthur Denaro, who spent 40 years as a British soldier, discussing warfare’s evolution from conventional battles to drone strikes and anti-terror operations
Conn Iggulden, the historical fiction specialist, will be exploring the second novel in his new trilogy, Tyrant, which finds newly-crowned Emperor Nero fending off court rivals whilst embracing his fate as the most feared ruler in Roman history
Tessa Dunlop examines how we remember the past, and what our war memorials and the people they commemorate tells us about our history and ourselves, from her latest book Lest We Forget
British politician and former MP Nicholas Soames will give an unmissable talk about leadership, legacy, war and his grandfather, Winston Churchill. Also in conversation with Sunday Times bestselling historian Tim Bouverie
Clare Mulley will be discussing her Women’s Prize-shortlisted book, Agent Zo, which tells the incredible story of courageous resistance fighter Elżbieta Zawacka, AKA ‘Zo’, the only woman to parachute from Britain to Nazi German-occupied Poland.
The festival’s events will be set across historic venues including the allpay stage Hereford Cathedral, The Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford Town Hall and the newly-refurbished Castle Green Pavilion.
The festival is also delighted to announce it will be producing a sensational programme of events for 200 pupils from schools in the city, with full details only to be revealed on 26th September.
The festival is also pledging 10% of the value of all ticket sales to the Herefordshire Veteran Support Centre, which was established in 2019 to provide support to the county’s large community of former military service personnel. By some estimates, around 25% of Herefordshire’s population has a connection to the military. Festival organisers have partnered with Rossiter Books to run the on-site bookshop, and 10% of all ticket sales will be donated to the Herefordshire Veterans Support Centre.
Website: https://www.herefordmilitaryhistoryfestival.com
Tickets: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/military-history-festival
Instagram: @herefordfestival
