Professor Brad Beaven and Dr Mel Bassett of Port Towns and Urban Cultures at the University of Portsmouth have contributed to the current edition of Local History News with an article entitled “Mapping the national impact of the Jutland Battle: civic and community responses during the First World War project: a partnership project.” Brad and Mel were awarded £11,500 by the AHRC’s Gateways to the First World War public engagement centre so they could work in partnership with Portsdown U3A on a project which traced every Royal Naval fatality directly related to the Battle of Jutland (1916).
The article assesses the benefits and the challenges of university academics working in partnership with community groups. It also charts the strengths and influences each stakeholder had in achieving our project outputs. You can download the whole publication here: http://www.balh.org.uk/publications/local-history-news/local-history-news-number-125-autumn-2017
Find out more about the project:
The project has since produced a database of over 6000 casualties, which features service information and personal details of those who perished in the Battle. It is hoped that it will be a resource for members of the public wishing to trace their First World War relatives, and for further demographic research into the Royal Navy. The database is featured on the website here. You can also visit our online exhibition which documents some our findings on the website here.
A similar project, funded by the Heritage Lottery, which researched the impact of the Battle of Jutland in Portsmouth and Gosport, was undertaken by Portsdown U3A in partnership with PTUC’s Dr Rob James and John Bolt. Their interactive map can also be accessed via the website.
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