The Historical Association Honorary Fellowships 2023

Each year the Historical Association awards a small number of Honorary Fellowships. These awards are to recognise and celebrate outstanding services to history and to the Historical Association. The awards cover services to the Historical Association Branches (of which there are over 45 across the country); our committees; the work we are carry out in schools, Higher Education and in Lifelong Learning.

This year we are delighted to announce that the Honorary Fellowships will be awarded to:

• Dale Banham
• Geoff Bisson
• Victoria Crooks
• Mick Crumplin
• Ken Fincham
• Sophie Henderson
• Sandra Kirkland
• Laura London
• Dan Lyndon-Cohen
• Emily Miller
• Miri Rubin
• Joseph Smith
• John Stead
• Stuart Tiffany
• Susie Townsend

The Honorary Fellowships will be awarded at the Historical Association Awards Evening on Wednesday 12 July, with Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, who is this year’s Medlicott Medal awardee.

All of the Honorary Fellows have been asked what this award means to them:

Dale Banham
I am delighted to receive this award. I have made many friends at HA conferences and CPD events and to receive recognition from the history teaching community is a great honour.

Geoff Bisson
My initial reaction was one of pleasant surprise. Having digested the news I feel flattered to have been recognised not least to be in the same company as someone as eminent as Ken Fincham.

Victoria Crooks
From the beginning of my own PGCE, The Historical Association has loomed large as an organisation made up of inspirational history educators who care deeply about our subject and young people in our schools. I was so surprised when I was told I was being given this award – I still can’t quite believe that people I admire so much think I might deserve it.

Mick Crumplin
Naturally, it feels a great honour, but it also satisfying and rewarding to be associated with a prestigious British historical group. 

Ken Fincham
It’s a great honour. The HA is a force for good, and I’m delighted to have this formal connection with such an outward-looking, energetic organisation which doesn’t turn its back on the present but explores contemporary views of the past.

Sophie Henderson
It is a tremendous honour to receive this award on behalf of the Migration Museum in recognition of all the work we are doing to put our shared migration story at centre stage as a celebrated and essential strand of Britishness and British history.

Sandra Kirkland
I feel very honoured to be receiving this award but I feel that I am part of a whole network of people with a passion for history who I am lucky enough to work with.

Laura London
I couldn’t do my job without the HA. It is such a brilliant organisation, a real force for good in the world, and full of the most of most committed and talented people. Therefore, to receive this award, from people I admire so much, is a complete honour. I never could have imagined it and I am incredibly grateful.

Dan Lyndon-Cohen
This has been a hugely exciting year for me, as I recently was appointed as the Director of the Schools History Project, so when I also received this award from the HA I was thrilled to be honoured by another hugely significant community for History teachers and educators.

Emily Miller
It is a real honour to receive this fellowship in recognition of the part the Migration Museum is doing to contribute to teaching and learning about migration and intersecting themes in this, our tenth year. Thank you!

Miri Rubin
It means a great deal. I admire the HA's work immensely and enjoyed working with you last winter over a new type of course which attracted hundreds.

Joseph Smith
It’s such an honour and it came as a big surprise! When I moved to Scotland, I was really astounded by the lack of a cross-border conversation about history teaching. Although England and Scotland have different curricula, we’re all in the business of teaching better history. SATH (Scottish Association of Teachers of History) and the HA have a much closer relationship now and while I can’t take all the credit, it’s nice for my small contribution to building this dialogue to be recognised. 

John Stead
I am delighted to be receiving this award. It is confirmation that my work as Treasurer of the Plymouth Branch over 37 years is recognised and appreciated. 

Stuart Tiffany
What does it mean to you to receiving this award? I'm absolutely over the moon. I have always loved learning history, teaching it, leading it and writing about it too. Being recognised for something is incredibly flattering given the amazing voices for history that there are. 

Susie Townsend
I am really excited to be receiving this award. It is lovely to be recognised for making contributions to History and at a time of year when you can be quite worn down with marking and recruitment it was a real ‘pick me up! 

A full article about all of this year’s awardees will be in the next HA News.