2025-06-30-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 01/07/2024 Period start date To 30/06/2025

Charity name: The German History Society

Charity registration number: 1182341

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The German History Society (“the Society”) 1. Objects The Objects of the Society are, for the public benefit in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland: 1.1 To advance education in, and promote the study of, German history, including the history of German-speaking lands, in particular but not exclusively by: 1.1.1 Organising public conferences, lectures and events on topics relating to German history; 1.1.2 Creating and fostering links between academics, students, scholarly bodies and other individuals and organisations engaged with or interested in German history; 1.1.3 Producing and disseminating publications, online resources and other media to provide information relating to the subject and study of German history; and 1.1.4 Providing grants and bursaries for study or research into German history, and awarding prizes for exceptional academic work relating to German history, in particular but not exclusively to students and early career scholars. 1.2 Nothing in this Constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the Society for purposes which are not charitable in accordance with section 7 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005

		and section 2 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	The Society promotes learning in the history of Germany and the German-speaking world. It does this, broadly, through events, publication/dissemination of print and online information, awarding grants for study/research and fostering a network of academics, students and other individuals and organisations interested in the discipline. The Society exists to benefit the public at large and many benefits are accessible to all. However, the Society encourages those with an interest in German history to become members and membership confers additional benefits. Membership is easy to obtain and affordable: the cost is £34/year for general membership and £4/year for student membership, which is a lower fee than that charged by many other membership organisations. Members of the Society can access various benefits, which are designed to promote their learning, including automatic subscription to the Society's own journal, eligibility to apply for bursaries/grants and free attendance at the Society’s annual conference and various other events. The Society’s journal,German History, includes articles/research and other information relevant the field and represents an excellent educational resource. In addition, the Society’s website includes a comprehensive list of links to relevant study and research resources, to assist students, scholars and other interested parties to develop their learning in the area. The Society’s annual conference and other events provide a platform for leading speakers in German history to showcase their work and educate attendees. These events also facilitate networking between those working, studying or interested in the discipline, thereby providing opportunities to advance education through the sharing of knowledge and ideas. Bursaries and grants allow students and early career scholars to fund items that otherwise may have been unaffordable to them, including study fees, research trips, attending or putting on conferences/events, language training, amongst other things. These awards, therefore, broaden access to the field and promote learning. The Society also awards various prizes for outstanding work in the field of German history, including a postgraduate essay prize, EDI prize and undergraduate dissertation prize, which are open to students at UK and Irish universities, and a prize for the best article published each year in_German_ _History_journal. The Society exists to advance education in the history of Germany and the German-speaking world and is

		committed to activities that enable the public at large to become engaged in this discipline. Non-members can subscribe to the_German History_ journal and attend the Society’s annual conference and other events, subject to payment of a small fee. Therefore, many of the benefits enjoyed by members are available more widely at cost, and therefore, contribute to the Society’s aims of advancing education in German history for the benefit of the public at large. Furthermore, membership of the Society is open to any person who is studying, teaching or researching German history, or who supports the aims of the Society or is simply interested in the topic. There is no limit on membership numbers. Therefore, although members gain benefits by virtue of their membership, anyone with an interest in the area can become a member and therefore enjoy these benefits.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The trustees, in making decisions, have had due regard to the Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment Para 1.38 Contribution made by volunteers

Other

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	Annual Conference In 2024, the Society’s annual conference was held at Loughborough University from 4–6 September. The conference included around 65 participants (speakers, chairs, discussants) from across the globe, representing researchers at all levels from postgraduates and early career researchers to established senior scholars. Plenary keynote lectures were given by professors Lyndal Roper (University of Oxford), Paul Nolte (FU Berlin), and James Brophy (University of Delaware). Members and non-members alike were able to attend the conference and broaden their knowledge of German history and culture. Other Events On 4 September 2024, prior to the GHS annual conference, a workshop was held for Postgraduates and Early Career Researchers on effective grant- writing and submitting publications – this was well- attended. The GHS also provided support through its Impact and Outreach grant to fund the planning of a digital exhibition on Britain's response to the persecution of Jews under Nazism. Additionally,Tanks on the Streets: The Uprising of 17 June 1953 in East Germany, a free exhibition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first Cold War uprising in Germany, was presented at the University of Chester. Some films and artworks were also shown at the Storyhouse Cultural Centre in Chester during the summer of 2023.

Membership

In May 2025, the Society had 180 members (98 waged and 82 unwaged). The high number of unwaged members suggests that the Society is accessible to them. The expanded use of multiple social media channels has played a significant role in this achievement.

Members of the Society are able to attend the annual conference without paying a fee, and are eligible for the Society’s prizes, grants, and bursaries. Membership of the Society also includes a subscription to the internationally-acclaimed journal German History , which is published four times a year on behalf of the Society by Oxford University Press.

Grants

Grant applications in most areas are high, which is
encouraging. The decision to extend the definition of
early career researchers from two to five years—
reflecting the increasing challenges faced by
postgraduates and ECRs—has been well received,
enabling more precariously placed or early-stage
scholars to undertake more ambitious work.
For a full financial breakdown of expenditure on grants
and bursaries, see the Financial Review section below.
GHS Postgraduate awards 2024–5
Small grants and bursaries:
Small Grants:
£5,084.60 was awarded to 10 applicants in August
2024 (x 8 conference attendance, x2 research
support)
£6,500 was awarded to 5 applicants in January 2025
(x 4 workshop/conference organisation, x1 conference
travel)
£2,450 was awarded to 3 applicants in April 2025 (x1
workshop organisation, x 2 conference travel)
Up to £1,500 is available to applicants to fund
research or conference travel or workshop/conference
organisation.
Postgraduate Bursaries:
£11,880 was awarded to 6 applicants in April 2024.

Up to £2,500 is available to applicants to fund
language courses, archive study trips, fees or general
maintenance.
Hardship Funding:
£500 was awarded to 1 applicant in August 2024.
Applications are offered for up to three grants of up to
£500 each annually to support historians who are
experiencing difficulties in carrying out their research
owing to unexpected financial hardship.
GHS – DAAD Language Grant:
€850 was awarded, divided between the GHS and
DAAD, to 1 applicant in April 2025 to attend a German
language course.
Exhibition and OutreachFunding Scheme
The existing Exhibition Funding Scheme was expanded
to include outreach activities and renamed Exhibtion
and Outreach Funding Scheme. During this reporting
period, £6,452 was awarded and disbursed.
To highlight these initiatives at the annual conference,
a dedicated panel for awardees was introduced. The
application process has also been moved to a rolling
basis to accommodate projects that do not align with
the previous fixed April deadline.
Funding supported the launch of_The Wandering Jew_
travelling exhibition (Parkes Institute for the Study of
Jewish/non-Jewish Relations, University of
Southampton), presented during Inter Faith Week as
part of a literary, artistic, and historical programme. The
exhibition explores how the legend has been
reimagined as a vehicle for interfaith tolerance and as
a motif of Jewish resilience and cultural richness.
Additional funding was awarded for A Place of Refuge,
a portable exhibition on Jewish refugee academics who
fled Nazi Germany and later built scholarly careers at
the University of Southampton. It was displayed at the
university’s annual Hands-on Humanities Day in
autumn 2024.
Further support was granted to Mercy Squad, a
cooperative, in-person educational game to be
implemented at New College Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Aimed at Scottish Highers students—and suitable for
A-level students across the UK—it examines the roles
of perpetrators and rescuers in the Third Reich.

Prizes

GHS Postgraduate Essay prize

The GHS Postgraduate Essay Prize recognises
outstanding research by postgraduate students in the
field of German history and awards a prize of £500 to
the winner of this annual essay competition. In addition,
the essays are considered for publication in_German_
_History_journal.
In 2025, the prize was advertised through a range of
academic channels, and six submissions were
received. Following review of the submissions, first
prize was awarded to Anja Segmüller (University of
Cambridge) for ‘Body, Art, Collective:
Künstlerinnengruppe Erfurt and Feminist Performance
Art in the GDR and Beyond’, and second prize to Emma
Paterson (University of Cambridge) for ‘German-
Jewish Family History Research, c.1900–1945’.
GHS Undergraduate Essay Prize
The German History Society offers an annual prize of
£300 for the best undergraduate dissertation on
German History written by a student of history (single
or joint honours, or in a cognate discipline) at a UK or
Irish university. Runner-up prizes of £100 each may
also be offered at the judges’ discretion.
The prizes were awarded as follows:
1stPrize: Alexander Beard, ‘‘Migration according to
plan’: A cultural history of Vietnamese contract labour
in East Germany, 1980-1990.’
Runner-Up: Eleanor Vincent, ‘Representations of the
body in the works of Mechthild of Magdeburg and
Gertrude of Helfta, c. 1250-1302.’ (University of
Cambridge)
With the aim of making their research more accessible
to a wider public and enhancing these students’
visibility, we have reinvigorated the blog section of our
website, where awardees contribute a post.
Rethinking German History Prize
The German History Society launched a new prize to
recognise critical interventions in debates on gender,
minorities, migration, ethnicity, and equality, as well as
transnational and comparative history. The prize
welcomes work engaging with critical race studies,
LGBTQ+ and queer studies, and disability studies, in
relation to any aspect of the history of Germany and the
German-speaking world in its broadest global context.
The first_Rethinking German History Prize_, worth £500,
was awarded to Miguel Gaete Cáceres for ‘A New
Moral World Order: Carl Alexander Simon and the
German Colonization of Southern Chile’ which was

published in the Society’s journal German History in December 2024. German History Article Prize Each year German History’ s editorial board awards a prize on the behalf of The German History Society for the best article published in the journal. The prize is intended to showcase outstanding work from scholars of German history whatever their career stage, and the winner is invited to receive their award at the annual meeting of the German History Society in September. The prize is worth £500, with an additional £250 of books provided by OUP. Oxford Journals makes the prize-winning articles freely available online. The winner of the prize was Joachim C Häberlen, whose article ‘“Democracy at Play: Adventure Playgrounds in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1967–1984’ and will be published at the end of 2025.

Journal
The journal continues to receive a steady flow of
submissions, largely from early-career scholars based
in the UK, the US and Germany, though regular
contributions from further afield attest to its global
reach. During this reporting period, a special issue on
Anglo-German Empire between Nationalist
Antagonism and Transimperial Cooperation, 1895–
1925_was published, alongside another titled_Houses of
Worship in Times of War. Further special issues are in
the pipeline, spanning a wide chronological range from
early modern to contemporary history. Publication slots
are currently filled until early 2027.
While most submissions come from early-career
scholars, there is also a consistent stream of articles
from more senior academics. In terms of subject matter,
submissions cover the full sweep of German history,
from the early Middle Ages to the present. The journal
thus continues to fulfil its aim of serving as a leading
English-language forum for German history and of
maintaining a strong international reputation, including
within the German-speaking world.
Book Series
The German History Society has established its own
book series, Studies in German History, in collaboration
with its long-standing publishing partner Oxford
University Press.
The series reflects the German History Society’s long-
standing mission to promote the best scholarship in the
broad field of German historyand seeks to build on the

innovative directions established by the Society’s journal in recent years. Taking an open, expansive view of what German History is and where that history has been played out, it envisions a broad chronological and geographic scope that encompasses topics from the medieval period to the present day; it seeks to go beyond the traditional confines of German history by adopting a comparative approach or exploring themes that entwine the history of the German-speaking lands with that of other parts of the world; it aims to solicit titles that are intellectually ambitious, whether in their engagement with novel paradigms or their use of concepts and methods from other disciplines; and it seeks to publish work that reaches a readership beyond immediate specialists in a particular field. Above all, it seeks to publish work that engages with historical questions of wider relevance across German and other histories. The series has now published a total of fifteen books, including one that appeared during the reporting period: Emergency Powers and the Home Fronts in Britain and Germany during the First World War by André Keil, published in April 2025. At the time of reporting, three additional books had been accepted and were in the pipeline. Our contract with OUP commits us to publishing between two and four books per calendar year. The editorial board changed during this reporting period to bring in new perspectives and give space to new voices, contributing to the renewal of the field, supporting the aims of the series, and extending knowledge of German history. Outreach Caroline Sharples has been continuing work on our two main outreach projects, both of which are ongoing. 1. Glimpses of German History: Filming was completed for a second series of short films by GHS members, each focusing on a specific object from German history and aimed at an audience of secondary school students and their teachers. The film series continues to cover a wide chronology (medieval, early modern, modern) of German history topics, and showcases a rich array of artefacts. The most recent videos, for instance, encompasses the reliquary of St Oswald, stained glass windows, a samovar and a denazification questionnaire. In the process, the GHS continues to forge collaborative relationships with museums, archives and other educational institutions who make it possible for us to

film within their collections. The new series will be launched on the GHS website and YouTube channel in September 2025. 2. The Creative Research Competition: This is a competition for secondary school students in the UK and Ireland, designed to foster interest in German history, language and culture and linked closely to the Glimpses of German History film series. This year, after consultation with several school teachers, it was decided to delay the opening of the competition until the start of the new school year (September 2025). This enables schools to have a longer lead-in time for planning their responses, and potentially organise related talks and workshops with GHS members. Participants are invited to submit a creative research project inspired by themes from our film series. The winner receives £250, with an additional £250 awarded to their school to support the teaching of German history. We continue to encourage collaboration between GHS members and the Wiener Holocaust Library in London to run talks and workshops for students and teachers, and we are discussing similar opportunities for collaboration on school events with the Association for German Studies.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

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Achievements against
objectives set Para 1.41
Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set Para 1.41
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Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	Please find the detailed end of year financial statement on the following pages.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	We continue to experience the longer impact of the pandemic. Some projects, conferences, postgraduate research plans involving travel, as well as the language courses that we support had been postponed, cancelled, or took place online, and we continued to support these projects if applicants wished to see the money transferred into a new financial cycle. We are proactively seeking to spend our reserves and have this year (2023/24) increased the value of the postgraduate bursaries we dispense from £2,000 to £2,500 and significantly expanded the eligibility criterion from within 2 years of passing the PhD to within 5 years. We fund a very high proportion of the applications for funding we receive and continue to explore how to increase the future volume of applications.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	See attached report.
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	N/A
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	N/A
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	N/A

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47

Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Learned Society
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	2. Appointment of Trustees 2.1 For the purposes of this clause, a “year” shall mean a complete period of service between two AGMs. 2.2 The Trustees in office on the date of adoption of this Constitution shall remain in post until the expiry of their term of office as determined under the previous constitution (adopted on 1 September 2017), after which the provisions of this Constitution shall apply. 2.3 Officerships 2.3.1 The Members at AGM shall elect individuals to the Fixed Officerships and Further Officerships described in clauses of the Constitution each for a non-renewable term of three years. 2.3.2 After expiry of this three-year term, the Fixed Officerships and Further Officerships shall retire from these positions and shall not be eligible for re- election to them, provided that they shall be eligible for election to other Officerships or otherwise as Trustees, subject to the time limits on Trustee service under sub- clause 2.6. 2.3.3 The terms of office of the Chairperson and the Secretary shall not normally be co-terminous.

2.4	Ex-officio trustees
	2.4.1 The Editors of the GHS
	Journal and the Series
	Editors of Studies in German
	History for the time being
	(“the Ex-Officio Trustees”)
	shall automatically, by virtue
	of holding those offices, be
	trustees.
	2.4.2 If unwilling to act as a trustee,
	an Ex-Officio Trustee may:
	(a) before accepting
	appointment as a
	Trustee, give notice in
	writing to the Trustees
	of his or her
	unwillingness to act in
	that capacity; or
	(b) after accepting
	appointment as a
	Trustee, resign under
	the provisions
	contained in
	Constitution sub-
	clause.
	2.4.3 The office of that Ex-Officio
	Trustee will then remain
	vacant until the office holder
	ceases to hold office.
2.5	If there are more
	applications/nominations for the role
	of Trustee than there are vacant
	Trustee positions, the Secretary shall
	prepare ballot papers for secret
	elections at the AGM and shall act as
	returning officer for the elections.
	Each Member returning a ballot
	paper at the AGM shall have as many
	votes as there are vacancies.
2.6	Except for the Ex-Officio Trustees, no
	Trustee shall serve for a period of
	more than nine years except where
	the Trustees determine that
	exceptional circumstances apply.
	Service accrued prior to the adoption
	of this Constitution shall not count for
	the purposes of this sub-clause 2.6.
2.7	The Trustees and the Members shall
	have regard to maintaining broad
	representation of the various
	chronological periods of German

	history in electing Trustees to the
	Committee.
2.8	Every Trustee after appointment or
	reappointment must sign a
	declaration of willingness to act as a
	charity trustee of the Society before
	he or she may act as a Trustee.
2.9	A technical defect in the appointment
	of a Trustee of which the Trustees are
	unaware at the time does not
	invalidate decisions taken at a
	meeting.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

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Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees Para 1.51
The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the Para 1.51
charity works
Relationship with any related
parties Para 1.51
Other
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Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The German History Society
Other name the charity uses	N/A
Registered charity number	1182341
Charity’s principal address	c/o Professor Mark Hewitson (GHS Chair) European and International Social and Political Studies, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for **whole year **	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
	Mark Hewitson	Chair
	Marina Perez de Arcos	Secretary
	Craig Griffiths	Treasurer
	Emily Steinhauer	German Historical Institute Representative
	Edmund Wareham Watnitzek	Postgraduate Officer
	Anna Ross	Journal Editor
	Benjamin Ziemann	Journal Editor
	Tim Grady	Book Series Editor
	Bridget Heal	Book Series Editor
	Caroline Sharples	Schools and Outreach Officer
	Joseph Cronin	Postgraduate Prize Officer
	Róisín Watson	Undergraduate Prize

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity

Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects

Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of	Name	Address
adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date
	Marina Pérez de Arcos	Mark Hewitson
	Secretary	Chair
	28 April 2026
	28 April 2026