Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1555
K. Power
British prisoners of war captured during the Napoleonic Wars were preoccupied with dress. This is unsurprising given clothing’s relationship to physical and mental health and to identity. However, the discussion of clothing by prisoners during this period goes beyond the passive engagement with these concepts to a conscious manipulation of how dress could be used, and how it could be ‘read’ by others. This paper argues that British prisoners of war used their knowledge of dress, and the skills learned during their incarceration, and from their professions, to turn clothing into escape technologies, and a means to assert agency.
{"title":"Dress, Identity, and Negotiation by British Prisoners of War in France, 1803-1812","authors":"K. Power","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1555","url":null,"abstract":"British prisoners of war captured during the Napoleonic Wars were preoccupied with dress. This is unsurprising given clothing’s relationship to physical and mental health and to identity. However, the discussion of clothing by prisoners during this period goes beyond the passive engagement with these concepts to a conscious manipulation of how dress could be used, and how it could be ‘read’ by others. This paper argues that British prisoners of war used their knowledge of dress, and the skills learned during their incarceration, and from their professions, to turn clothing into escape technologies, and a means to assert agency.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"64-82"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48315621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1559
A. Glew
Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014, new memory actors in Ukraine (veterans, families of the fallen soldiers, and other activists) seek to commemorate those Ukrainians who lost their lives on the frontline. By examining the construction of memorials in the Poltava oblast (Central Ukraine), the article demonstrates that in the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict the commemorative activity of ordinary people is impacted by the continued human losses, ordinary people’s perception of the future (grounded in their present-day experiences), and their desire to ensure that their memories are preserved for future generations.
{"title":"Commemoration in the midst of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict","authors":"A. Glew","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1559","url":null,"abstract":"Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2014, new memory actors in Ukraine (veterans, families of the fallen soldiers, and other activists) seek to commemorate those Ukrainians who lost their lives on the frontline. By examining the construction of memorials in the Poltava oblast (Central Ukraine), the article demonstrates that in the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict the commemorative activity of ordinary people is impacted by the continued human losses, ordinary people’s perception of the future (grounded in their present-day experiences), and their desire to ensure that their memories are preserved for future generations.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"148-165"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"69236487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1556
M. Kelleher
This article explores the interactions between the Imperial War Graves Commission and the bereaved. It particularly focuses on communications between the Commission and those with loved ones who died as a result of the First World War, as outlined by the Commission’s charter, and who are commemorated across England. Through a close study of some of the recently digitized e-files held in the Commission’s Archives at Maidenhead, broader discussions surrounding the questions commonly asked by members of the public are showcased, thus highlighting the unique nature of the work undertaken by the Commission across England.
{"title":"\"I will remember it as one more to the list of courtesies I have received\": Interactions between the Imperial War Graves Commission and the Bereaved","authors":"M. Kelleher","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1556","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the interactions between the Imperial War Graves Commission and the bereaved. It particularly focuses on communications between the Commission and those with loved ones who died as a result of the First World War, as outlined by the Commission’s charter, and who are commemorated across England. Through a close study of some of the recently digitized e-files held in the Commission’s Archives at Maidenhead, broader discussions surrounding the questions commonly asked by members of the public are showcased, thus highlighting the unique nature of the work undertaken by the Commission across England.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"83-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46246439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1558
Stephen Moore
By September 1940 the quality of pilots supplied to Fighter Command had become unacceptably low. Reducing earlier stages of training was meant to be replaced by increased Operational Training Unit instruction, but this merely provided conversion to operational type. To preserve the first-line fighter force Fighter Command adopted a ‘Stabilisation Scheme’, relegating a third of squadrons to a training role. Pilot demand remained high and the Stabilisation Scheme was retained until pilot numbers in first-line squadrons were finally satisfactory in June 1941, and the need for training squadrons disappeared, despite increases in flying accidents during 1941.
{"title":"‘Going downhill’: the consequences of the Stabilisation Scheme on Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and into 1941","authors":"Stephen Moore","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1558","url":null,"abstract":"By September 1940 the quality of pilots supplied to Fighter Command had become unacceptably low. Reducing earlier stages of training was meant to be replaced by increased Operational Training Unit instruction, but this merely provided conversion to operational type. To preserve the first-line fighter force Fighter Command adopted a ‘Stabilisation Scheme’, relegating a third of squadrons to a training role. Pilot demand remained high and the Stabilisation Scheme was retained until pilot numbers in first-line squadrons were finally satisfactory in June 1941, and the need for training squadrons disappeared, despite increases in flying accidents during 1941.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"122-147"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46174533","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1560
Michael E Broughton
The late sixteenth-century religious wars prompted a Protestant movement within the Elizabethan regime that sought state-sanctioned military intervention in aid of the Dutch rebels. Printed military news also became a popular genre during this period. This article seeks to re-examine the journalistic legacy of soldier-poet Thomas Churchyard through a close reading of his 1580 account of the English pillaging of Mechelen by a group of English mercenaries. Churchyard’s text was the product of his connections to interventionist statesmen and the widespread vilification of Spaniards. His pamphlet utilised popular motifs that vindicated religious violence and exploited inchoate notions of journalistic credibility.
{"title":"‘The English Fury’ at Mechelen, 1580","authors":"Michael E Broughton","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1560","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1560","url":null,"abstract":"The late sixteenth-century religious wars prompted a Protestant movement within the Elizabethan regime that sought state-sanctioned military intervention in aid of the Dutch rebels. Printed military news also became a popular genre during this period. This article seeks to re-examine the journalistic legacy of soldier-poet Thomas Churchyard through a close reading of his 1580 account of the English pillaging of Mechelen by a group of English mercenaries. Churchyard’s text was the product of his connections to interventionist statesmen and the widespread vilification of Spaniards. His pamphlet utilised popular motifs that vindicated religious violence and exploited inchoate notions of journalistic credibility.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"166-173"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48994482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1561
Pia Henning
The Prussian Kriegsspiel was the very first professional wargame and was originally introduced in the Prussian army in 1824 but has so far seen very little systematic research. This research project has compiled a corpus from all the rulesets currently extant, which was then made subject to formal and linguistic analysis. This yielded results in three important areas: First, by comparing them with a collection of contemporary texts on military theory it was possible to identify Kriegsspiel rulesets as distinctive text types. Second, comparing the rulesets gave valuable insights into the developmental history of the Kriegsspiel. And finally, it was possible to distinguish three distinctive phases in the development of the Kriegsspiel.
{"title":"‘Game on!’ A research project on the Prussian Kriegsspiel","authors":"Pia Henning","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1561","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1561","url":null,"abstract":"The Prussian Kriegsspiel was the very first professional wargame and was originally introduced in the Prussian army in 1824 but has so far seen very little systematic research. This research project has compiled a corpus from all the rulesets currently extant, which was then made subject to formal and linguistic analysis. This yielded results in three important areas: First, by comparing them with a collection of contemporary texts on military theory it was possible to identify Kriegsspiel rulesets as distinctive text types. Second, comparing the rulesets gave valuable insights into the developmental history of the Kriegsspiel. And finally, it was possible to distinguish three distinctive phases in the development of the Kriegsspiel.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"174-183"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46605392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1553
Tristan Griffin
During the 1640s, several Royalist fortresses in Northern England were subject to length sieges, particularly after the defeat of the major Northern Royalist field army at Marston Moor in 1644. The difficulty of directly assaulting these strongholds lead to starvation becoming the Parliamentarian and Covenanter besiegers’ main weapon. This article analyses the methods used by the Royalist garrisons to try and alleviate siege famine, including raiding, rationing and ersatz foodstuffs, and their consequent collapse owing to hunger-induced popular unrest or the effects of famine diseases such as scurvy, starvation and dehydration on the soldiers themselves.
{"title":"Siege Famine in Northern England during the British Civil Wars, 1644–1649","authors":"Tristan Griffin","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1553","url":null,"abstract":"During the 1640s, several Royalist fortresses in Northern England were subject to length sieges, particularly after the defeat of the major Northern Royalist field army at Marston Moor in 1644. The difficulty of directly assaulting these strongholds lead to starvation becoming the Parliamentarian and Covenanter besiegers’ main weapon. This article analyses the methods used by the Royalist garrisons to try and alleviate siege famine, including raiding, rationing and ersatz foodstuffs, and their consequent collapse owing to hunger-induced popular unrest or the effects of famine diseases such as scurvy, starvation and dehydration on the soldiers themselves.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"24-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45293943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1551
Zack White
{"title":"Introduction: New Researchers and the Bright Future of Military History","authors":"Zack White","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1551","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"2-5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41501911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1562
Stefan Aguirre Quiroga
This Research Note explores the presence of South Vietnamese women as defectors and addresses the question of whether women combatants were employed by the United States as Kit Carson Scouts during the Vietnam War. Through fragmentary source material, it is possible to determine the presence of women who had fought for the People’s Liberation Armed Forces in every stage of the defection process. The existence of women Kit Carson Scouts is also proven, showing how the initiative and agency of women defectors led their employment but that the United States Army was reluctant to use them in combat.
{"title":"Women as Turncoats: Searching for the Women among the Kit Carson Scouts during the Vietnam War, 1966-1973","authors":"Stefan Aguirre Quiroga","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1562","url":null,"abstract":"This Research Note explores the presence of South Vietnamese women as defectors and addresses the question of whether women combatants were employed by the United States as Kit Carson Scouts during the Vietnam War. Through fragmentary source material, it is possible to determine the presence of women who had fought for the People’s Liberation Armed Forces in every stage of the defection process. The existence of women Kit Carson Scouts is also proven, showing how the initiative and agency of women defectors led their employment but that the United States Army was reluctant to use them in combat.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"184-188"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43478489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-07-07DOI: 10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1557
Jayne Friend
The interwar period in Britain saw the Royal Navy performing multifarious duties aimed at reaffirming Britain’s naval supremacy and reinforcing a sense of national and imperial unity. As one of the most fascinating and versatile ships, the destroyer had grown to capture the imagination of the British public through tales of courage, heroism and daring. Destroyers conducted many post-war cruises and exercises, and visited numerous regional locations performing mock battles, lighting displays, launches, pageants, sporting events and commemorations. These were ceremonial and interactive events reflecting a symbiosis between naval culture and civilian society. This article explores these regional ceremonies and pageants which showcased the destroyer and considers the agency of the ship in forging symbolic links between local communities, the nation, and the wider empire.
{"title":"Destroyer Flag-Flying Visits, Civic Ceremony, Empire and Identity in interwar Britain","authors":"Jayne Friend","doi":"10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.BJMH.V7I2.1557","url":null,"abstract":"The interwar period in Britain saw the Royal Navy performing multifarious duties aimed at reaffirming Britain’s naval supremacy and reinforcing a sense of national and imperial unity. As one of the most fascinating and versatile ships, the destroyer had grown to capture the imagination of the British public through tales of courage, heroism and daring. Destroyers conducted many post-war cruises and exercises, and visited numerous regional locations performing mock battles, lighting displays, launches, pageants, sporting events and commemorations. These were ceremonial and interactive events reflecting a symbiosis between naval culture and civilian society. This article explores these regional ceremonies and pageants which showcased the destroyer and considers the agency of the ship in forging symbolic links between local communities, the nation, and the wider empire.","PeriodicalId":92181,"journal":{"name":"British journal for military history","volume":"7 1","pages":"102-121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43762281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}