January saw the University of Sussex host the ‘Seen But Not Heard?’ conference which sought to bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines who have a shared interest in the histories of childhood and youth. The conference considered youth in a variety of emotional, spatial, and material sites from antiquity to modernity. The […]
The exploits of Jack Cornwell at the battle of Jutland in 1916 offer a well-known story of gallantry in the face of adversity during the First World War. From humble origins, Cornwell joined the navy as a teenager and was stationed aboard HMS Chester at the Battle of Jutland.[1] Within the first hour of hostilities […]
Last week I attended the annual Social History Society conference held at the University of Portsmouth. It was my first Social History Society conference, and I was particularly lucky to have the opportunity to present a paper on sailors and naval pageantry alongside my PTUC colleagues Daniel Swan and Chris Spackman on the first panel […]
During the late nineteenth century the Boys’ Brigade in London sought to provide its young members with a form of recreation that would offer a break from the ills of urban life. It was thought that a camping expedition would help lift restrictions imposed at home and would remove lads from the pressures of the […]
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 […]
On 10 May 1914 William Alexander Smith – the founder of the Boys’ Brigade – passed away after being taken ill at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the organisation in London.[2] Smith had said to his son Stanley that to see St. Paul’s full with boys would be an impressive sight.[3] The location […]
