Talk to Explore the First World War in the Mediterranean
Ealing Historical Association hosts Professor Heather Jones
The final moments of the SMS Szent István, an Austro-Hungarian dreadnought battleship
May 27, 2026
The Ealing Branch of the Historical Association welcomes one of Britain’s leading First World War historians on Tuesday 9 June, when Professor Heather Jones of University College London will deliver a talk on a subject that is only now receiving the attention it deserves: the Mediterranean theatre of the Great War.
The meeting takes place at Ealing Green Church, The Green, W5 5QT, with doors opening at 7.15pm for a 7.30pm start.
Professor Jones is widely recognised for her groundbreaking work on the First World War. Her most recent book, For King and Country: The British Monarchy and the First World War (Cambridge University Press, 2021), has been praised for its fresh interpretation of the monarchy’s role during the conflict. She is currently completing a major study on the global impact of wartime blockade—research that directly informs the subject of her Ealing lecture.
Her talk, ‘The First World War in the Mediterranean’, examines the Allied maritime blockade imposed by Britain and France and later joined by Italy and other powers. Far from being a peripheral story, the blockade reveals how the conflict expanded into a truly ‘total war’, reshaping norms around the targeting of civilians and the use of economic pressure as a weapon. Professor Jones will explore how the Mediterranean became a crucial arena in which these strategies were tested, refined and ultimately normalised.
For those interested in the wider history of the First World War, naval strategy, or the evolution of international humanitarian norms, this promises to be a compelling and thought-provoking evening.
The event is open to members and visitors. Membership costs £15 per year, while visitors can attend individual talks for £5 with no charge for students. Tickets for this lecture are available via Eventbrite.
Meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday of each month at Ealing Green Church at 7.30pm, with the exception of the November meeting which takes place at Twyford School at 6.30pm. Talks are live events but with the speaker’s permission the association aims to make a recording available afterwards to those registering on Eventbrite (the booking link will be available on the society's website one month in advance of each talk).
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |