Ballot Archive

24 Jun 2021

Candidate Details

Candidate Name

Peter Godfrey Smithurst

Academic degrees, honours etc.

PhD

Profession or occupation

Retired museum curator

Grounds for election

After initially working as a research chemist, Peter Smithurst has made outstanding studies of the history of technology, especially in the field of firearms and artillery. Among his many strengths is his ability to combine his knowledge of chemistry with historical research on material culture. He has curated museum collections in Sheffield, Vermont (USA) and at the Royal Armouries, where he worked with both the edged and the projectile weapons collections and where he latterly served as Head of the Curatorial Department and Head of Collections. On retirement he was appointed a Curator Emeritus. Peter has written and contributed to several books and has written many articles for both scholarly journals (including Arms & Armour: the journal of the Royal Armouries) and for more popular publications. His output includes studies of Samuel Colt and the Gatling Gun. He has recently gained his PhD for his thesis on the British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle.

Signatories

The following Fellows have signed this Blue Paper