Attending the Templer Medal Prize Awards reception last week, hosted by the (British) Society for Army Historical Research, at the National Army Museum in London, was a comforting reminder of how sprawling and intellectually diverse our field is. The array of topics and interests was impressive. The prize winner was a study of military culture and The War of the Roses, that bloody civil war that eased England from the medieval towards the early modern. Among the podium placers were studies of siege battle in the most recent Afghan War, my own study of early Second World War special forces especially in the war against Japan, the British Army experience in the bloody fighting along the German borderlands in 1945, a study of the influence of First World War perceptions of masculinity in recruiting in the Second World War, and a best new book award for a comparative study of infantry tactics and battle in the 18th century. Student essay competition winners included two glances at the 1950s, the Suez Crisis and the Malayan Emergency. The ensuing discussions fairly reflected this lively and wide ranging engagement with British Army history. It was one of the most interesting and encouraging events I have attended for a long time. I thank the SAHR for their flattering recognition of my work and their hospitality. If there is a “crisis” in the study and practice of British history, it’s not in our field. Uni admin and govt are, sadly, another matter.