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Commemoration of war

Gough was invited to contribute the sole chapter (7,041 words) on commemorative schemes, remembrance and the concept of ‘reified place’ in particular preserved or reconstructed battlefields which have become the focus of commemorative rites; the places where ‘one takes personal narratives’. His chapter formed part of a major collection on heritage, identity and commemoration.

The chapter drew on a decade of research into these forms of commemoration, drawing together the representation of war, the nature of the reverential monument and the ambitious plans to house national war art collections in imposing ‘Halls of Remembrance’. The chapter also reflected on the reconstruction of sites of conflict, re-enactment and preservation and the phenomenology of absence and emptiness, as well as discussing examples of virtual memorials. The research was developed through network groups, workshops and public presentations where the propositions were tested: ‘Materialities and Meaning in Contested Places, 1900-2007’, University College London/Imperial War Museum Conference on Materialities and Cultural Memory of 20th Century Conflict (May 2007); ‘The Social Context of Death, Dying and Disposal’, University of Bath (September 2007); ‘Dead Reckoning: Passchendaele 1917’, 90th anniversary conference, Ypres, Belgium (November 2007).

Gough’s standing in this sub-discipline of cultural geography has been recognised by numerous further conference invitations, published papers, and exhibitions including a one-person show in Wellington, New Zealand (2009-10). His research on commemoration and remembrance was cited as part of the Vimy Declaration for the Management of Historical Battlefield Terrain (principal author Dr John Schofield, Vice-President International Scientific Committee on Fortifications and Military Heritage, 2009).