Continuing the Conversation: An Enduring Mission from 1913 to the New Anglo-Hellenic Review
The New Anglo-Hellenic Review
by Dimitris Loumanis
On 15 December 1913, in the rooms of the Royal Asiatic Society in London, a new organisation was formally brought into existence: the ‘Anglo-Hellenic League’. Its purpose was ambitious, yet clear — to strengthen friendship, understanding and cooperation between Britain and Greece at a moment of historic transformation in the Eastern Mediterranean. A copy of the meeting’s minutes can be found here. More than a century later, the League continues to pursue precisely the same mission, proving that its founders created not merely an institution for their own era, but a living bridge between the two nations.
The parallels between the League’s beginnings and its present-day activity are striking. In many ways, the values, structure and spirit of the Anglo-Hellenic League in 1913 remain remarkably familiar to members today. Looking back at the inaugural meeting is therefore not only an exercise in historical reflection, but also an opportunity to appreciate the continuity of a community that has consistently championed British-Greek relations through diplomacy, scholarship, culture and friendship.
The inaugural meeting itself reflected the remarkable breadth of support that the League immediately attracted. Chaired by the Hon. William Pember Reeves, the gathering celebrated the formal establishment of the organisation and the election of its first Council and Executive Committee. Reeves proudly announced that, after only a short period of preparation, the League had already gathered 274 members “of excellent quality” and sufficient financial support for its initial activities. By the end of the year, membership had surpassed 350. Today, the League numbers approximately 450 members — a remarkably comparable figure considering the entirely different historical context.
Then as now, the League drew strength from bilateral representation: British philhellenes, academics, diplomats and public figures working alongside members of the Greek and Cypriot communities in Britain and friends of Hellenism internationally.
The League’s Council today continues this tradition of balanced representation and shared stewardship, just as it did in 1913. The 15 members strong committee mirrors the structure established at the inaugural meeting over a century ago. And whilst back then the Council was an all-male one with a separate “Ladies Committee” set up to coordinate philanthropic relief, raise funds for Greek communities, and organize social and cultural events, the League has moved on with times and female Trustees represent a strong portion of our Council today.
At the time, Reeves, originally from New Zealand but settled in the UK since 1896, also stressed the importance of maintaining strong cooperation with contacts and supporters in Greece itself, noting his intention to “confer with friends ready to cooperate with them at that end.” In recent years, the League has similarly re-established an active presence in Greece through in-country representatives, recognising once again that Anglo-Hellenic relations must be nurtured on both sides of the relationship.
Education and academia have also remained central pillars of the League’s identity throughout its history. The inaugural leadership included some of the leading intellectual figures of the age, among them Ronald Burrows of King’s College London and the renowned classicist Gilbert Murray. William Pember Reeves himself served as Director of the London School of Economics, creating an historical parallel with the League’s current Chair, Professor Kevin Featherstone, also an LSE academic.
King’s College London likewise continues its long-standing association with the League. Ronald Burrows, the Principal of King’s and one of the League’s co-founders and Vice-Chairs, helped shape the League’s early intellectual direction. Today, Council Member Professor Gonda Van Steen proudly continues that academic connection, ensuring that King’s College London and the Koraes Chair remain closely intertwined with the League’s work and mission. These enduring institutional relationships demonstrate how the League has consistently served as a meeting point between scholarship and public engagement.
Another fascinating comparison between 1913 and the present lies in the League’s accessibility and member-driven character. At the inaugural meeting, the annual subscription was fixed at five shillings, with Reeves emphasising that “no member would be asked to pay more.” Adjusted for inflation, five shillings in 1913 equates to roughly £25 today — remarkably close to the League’s current annual membership fee of £30. The principle remains unchanged: the League exists as an inclusive community sustained by the participation and enthusiasm of its members.
At the same time, philanthropy has always played an essential role in supporting the League’s ambitions. In 1913, Reeves publicly thanked Mrs Stephen Ralli and Mrs Vlasto for generous donations of £100 and £50 respectively — sums equivalent today to approximately £15,000 and £7,500. More than a century later, the League continues to benefit from the generosity of major benefactors, which can be viewed by visiting our annual reports here (https://www.anglohellenicleague.org/annual-report). The names may have changed, but the spirit of philanthropy in service of Anglo-Hellenic friendship remains constant.
Yet the League has never been merely a social or cultural association. From its earliest days, it has also acted as a thoughtful and informed voice on matters affecting the Hellenic world. This too connects the League of 1913 with the League of today.
During the inaugural period, the League’s Chairman published a detailed letter in the Daily Chronicle concerning the status of the Aegean Islands and Northern Epirus, arguing passionately for principles of self-government, justice and stability in the region. The intervention demonstrated that the League saw itself not simply as an observer of events, but as a forum through which informed British and Greek voices could engage with pressing international questions.
In later decades, the League continued that intellectual and cultural role through the Anglo-Hellenic Review, published twice yearly between 1990 and 2014. The journal offered articles on history, politics, literature, culture and current affairs, alongside reports on Hellenic activities and developments. It became an important platform for dialogue, scholarship and reflection within the Anglo-Hellenic community.
Today, the successor to that publication — the New Anglo-Hellenic Review — carries the same spirit into a modern format through its online blog. In many respects, this evolution perfectly captures the League’s wider story: adapting to new times while remaining faithful to its founding purpose. The new platform invites members to contribute shorter pieces on science, art, literature, music, economics, philosophy, history and culture, continuing the League’s long tradition of intellectual exchange and public engagement.
This invitation matters because the League’s history has always been written collectively by its members. From the academics, diplomats and philanthropists who established the organisation in 1913 (and have served as Chair and Vice-Chairs until the present day), to today’s students, researchers, professionals, artists and philhellenes, the League has thrived because individuals chose to contribute their voices, ideas and energies to a shared cause.
Indeed, one of the most moving aspects of revisiting the inaugural meeting is recognising how modern the founders’ vision still feels. They sought meaningful cultural exchange, informed public discussion, educational cooperation and people-to-people friendship between Britain and Greece. They believed these relationships mattered not only politically, but intellectually and morally. More than one hundred years later, those goals remain just as relevant.
The world around the League has transformed dramatically since 1913. Empires have disappeared, wars have reshaped Europe, and communication itself has been revolutionised. Yet the need for institutions that cultivate mutual understanding between nations remains enduring. The Anglo-Hellenic League has survived and evolved precisely because it has understood this timeless importance.
As the League enters a new chapter through the New Anglo-Hellenic Review, members have an opportunity to become part of that continuing story. The founders of 1913 understood that the League would flourish only if its members actively participated in its mission. The same remains true today.
By contributing blogs, reflections and research to the new platform, members do more than share ideas — they continue a tradition that stretches back to that winter afternoon in December 1913, when a group of committed British and Greek friends came together to build something intended to last. More than a century later, their vision still endures.
Dimitris Loumanis is a Chartered Engineer, educated in Greece and the UK, and has been the League’s Membership Secretary since September 2023. During his time at Brunel University, he was actively involved with its Hellenic Society, promoting friendship and cultural awareness between Greek and British students. He works in Infrastructure and Development programmes in the UK and abroad, while also volunteering for the Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET).