Southwestern Ontario was a front in some of Canada’s defining wars, and that history will come under exploration during the seventh Windsor Military Studies Conference, this weekend at the Major F.A. Tilston VC Armoury.

Titled “War & Memory,” the conference is a collaboration between the UWindsor Humanities Research Group, the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment, the HMCS Hunter, the Windsor Regiment, and 21 Windsor Service Battalion.

Several presentations focus on the War of 1812, including Friday’s keynote address by military historian Terry Copp, entitled “The War of 1812: Creating Memory.” A Saturday afternoon session will include “A Hidden History: The Story of Springwells in the War of 1812” and “Tecumseh and the War of 1812.”

In addition, the home front during the world wars comes under consideration in “Chatham and the First World War” and “Windsor Goes to War, 1939.”

The conference runs February 3 and 4 at the armoury, 4007 Sandwich Street. Registration is $20 (including lunch), $10 for students with ID, and is open to history buffs, students, and the general public.

More information and registration are available through the Humanities Research Group at 519-253-3000, ext. 3506 or 3508, hrgmail@uwindsor.ca. Registration will also be possible at the door, but organizers prefer attendees pre-register to facilitate planning.