It promises to be the ultimate 'Burns think-tank'. A conference is set to reveal new research on the fascinating role of Robert Burns during the First World War.
It will also hear for the first time how an archeologist uncovered hidden treasure at Burns Cottage in Alloway - including tanks.
Dr Ken Simpson, co-director of the forecoming Burns International Conference, said: "Surprises abound in Burns studies. The forthcoming conference, to be held in the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, will hear how Burns was enlisted for the war effort."
The new research will be presented by Dr David Goldie, of Strathclyde University, and reveals how Burns was a role model for those who supported the war, like James Dalrymple who raised the Glasgow Tramways Battalion.
Equally, Burns was an inspiration for many who opposed the war: the suppressed Socialist newspaper, Forward, in 1916 designated Scots Wha Hae, the unofficial song of the Scottish Socialist movement.
Burns was, in the hands of the People's Journal and People's Friend, a sentimental figure who could be incorporated into parlour games called Burnsettes and fictionalised romances with titles such as The Star o' Robbie Burns of The Wooing of Bonnie Jean.
But Dr Goldie will also stress that "Burns was also used as one of the prime exemplars of human solidarity in a time of crisis".
When Guardian journalist C E Montague wrote a devastating critique of the war in 1922 entitled Disenchantment, he found the epigraph for the book in Burns. Dr Goldie said: "Montague took Burns as a type of the humane values that had to be upheld if civilisation were to endure.
Dr Gerrard Carruthers, co-director of the conference, said: "This is yet another instance of the way in which the rich range of Burns's voices can be used to support contradictory viewpoints."
The conference of which The Herald is media partner, will also feature Derek Alexander, west region archeologist for the National Trust for Scotland, investigating the hidden treasure concealed in Burns sites. Archeological work carried out at Burns Cottage in Alloway revealed a hoard of china objects, thought to date from the First World War.
The find consisted of 44 items in total, dominated by miniature dog kennels, but it also included representations of binoculars, hand-held lanterns, lifeboats, suitcases, and First World War tanks.
Details of the 2007 International Burns Conference on January 13 can be obtained from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phoning 0141 287 3815.
Visitors will know that Robert Burns was a Freemason and an active and ardent one at that. It will be interesting to learn if there will be any mention of this major aspect of Burns' life at this conference.
Details of the conference have been requested and details will be provided here once received.