John Ramsden, who died on 16 October 2009, was a leading historian of the Conservative party. He had recently retired after spending most of his career at Queen Mary, University of London. He was a firm supporter of British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC), serving as a Trustee and on research project steering groups. One of BUFVC’s current projects is to publish online (for UK HE/FE access only) the films and publications of the Inter-University History Film Consortium, an organisation which pioneered the study and use of film in history. These were films, primarily using newsreel archive footage, were made by historians for teaching purposes. John’s archive compilation film on Stanley Baldwin (1979) remains an outstanding example of what can be achieved in this medium to support learning and research.

Guardian obituary by Peter Hennessy