School of History, UCC
Mr Michael Keegan, War Studies Department, King's College London
Thursday 9 February 2023, 16:00, Teams
The paper will be delivered through MS Teams.
Teams links can be obtained from Dr Jérôme aan de Wiel, School of History, UCC: j.aandewiel@ucc.ie Or see link below.
Paper Roger Keyes was an inspirational leader in the Nelson tradition of the British Royal Navy who has slid into obscurity in the years following his untimely death in 1945. The talk will assess his career and contribution to British naval operations and strategy in the first half of the 20th century as well his catalysing role in British politics in the 1930s and 1940s including the overthrow of appeasement and his relationship with Churchill. The paper will argue that Keyes deserves to be remembered as much for his achievements in the political domain as for his daring exploits as an audacious naval officer. His contribution to military doctrine and his unknown role as the spiritual "godfather" of today's British special forces is also assessed. Michael Keegan is a PhD student at King’s College London, War Studies Department, and completed his MA there in 2021. Michael combines his studies as an academic with his role as a Crown Representative for the British Government where he works closely with the Ministry of Defence. Michael is also Vice-Chair of the UK Tech Industry body Teck UK and is a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of The Prince's Trust which helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the workplace. He is also a non-executive director on the board of the technology company Centerprise. During his 35-year professional career Michael held executive management positions with Fujitsu, MasterCard International and NatWest Bank. Living in Sussex Michael is married to Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP who is currently serving as the Secretary of State for Education in the UK Government.