Last month’s BBC Scotland documentary – Pipers of the Trenches – highlighted the cultural significance of pipe music during the battles of the First World War in the solidification of Scottish traditions, identity, and heritage within the military. The programme visited descendents of men who carried their pipes in the trenches and explored their stories […]
In May 1940, as Germany invaded France, fears arose in Guernsey that a German invasion might take place. The closeness of Guernsey to Cherbourg left it wide open to attack by both sea and air. On 11 June, the British War Cabinet considered that Hitler might occupy the Channel Islands to “strike a blow at […]
“What is the city but its people? True, the people are the city.” William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Act III Scene I. Many historians regard the Tudor period as pivotal in the shaping of modern England.[1] Despite this, popular interest has concentrated on the more ‘entertaining’ aspects of the period: such as the personal relationships of Tudor […]
The provincial press of the late nineteenth-century provides a fascinating insight into how imperialistic sentiment was conveyed to a newly literate working-class.[1] The provincial press adopted the conventions of ‘new journalism’, catering for working-class tastes by prioritising the reporting of sport, sensationalist news and by placing a focus upon localised issues.[2] Its rise paralleled the […]
Earlier this month British Pathé created an invaluable resource for historians and the digital humanities when they released their entire archive of 85,000 historical films and newsreels on to their new YouTube channel. In a press release Alastair White, General Manager of British Pathé, said “Our hope is that everyone, everywhere who has a computer will […]
Oral History is now recognised as a valuable and credible method to engage with and learn about the past.[i] Oral historians indicate that oral history research requires a different set of interpretative practises as it is a source that necessitates historians to directly engage with subjectivity.[ii] The interview is a source created by a shared […]
