Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Helen Fry, Colin Philpott

Nuremberg at 80: The People Who Made Justice Possible

This event is best suited for ages 12+

Description

Marking the 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trials, this panel looks beyond the headlines of history and into the lives of those who made justice possible.  

As Nazi Germany fell, a complex and urgent task emerged: to gather the evidence needed to hold perpetrators accountable for unprecedented crimes. This discussion brings to light the untold, often overlooked stories of interpreters, investigators, legal aides and survivors who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Moving away from grand political narratives, it places human experience at its core, revealing courage, resilience and moral determination in the face of devastation. 

Through personal accounts and historical insight, the event offers a deeply human perspective on a defining moment in modern history, reminding us that justice is shaped not only by leaders, but also by the many individuals who stand up to defend it.

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About the Authors

Tim Willasey-Wilsey

Tim Willasey-Wilsey

Tim Willasey-Wilsey CMG served as a British diplomat for 27 years, working across four continents in regions including Cold War Angola, Nicaragua during the Sandinista/Contra war, and Pakistan before 9/11. He later spent 13 years as International Advisor to RBS/NatWest. A Visiting Professor at King’s College London, Willasey-Wilsey is also an Associate Research Fellow at RUSI and author of The Spy and the Devil.

headshot of helen fry

Helen Fry

Helen has authored and edited over 25 books covering the social history of the Second World War, including British Intelligence and the secret war, espionage and spies, and MI9 escape and evasion. She is an expert on women in intelligence.
She is the foremost authority on the ‘secret listeners’ who worked at special eavesdropping sites operated by British Intelligence during WWII. Her groundbreaking research and extensive media coverage have shed light on one of the greatest intelligence deceptions of the war: the bugging of Hitler’s generals at Trent Park in North London, and thousands of prisoners of war at Latimer House and Wilton Park in Buckinghamshire.
Helen is the official biographer of MI6 spymaster, Colonel Thomas Joseph Kendrick. She has also extensively written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain during WWII.

About the Chair

Colin Philpott

Colin Philpott

Colin Philpott is a Yorkshire-based author of three non-fiction books exploring twentieth-century history and the dystopian novel Deathday. A former Director of Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum, Philpott previously spent 25 years at the BBC in news, current affairs and documentaries, including seven years as Head of BBC Yorkshire. Philpott has chaired events at literature festivals across the North for 15 years. 

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