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Academic papers on the Royal Navy (Primarily of the First World War era)
by Len Barnett M.A. |
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Go to Genealogical Guide into British Merchant Mariners Careers of the 19th and 20th Centuries |
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Academic papers on the Royal Navy (Primarily of the First World War era)
by Len Barnett M.A. |
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Go to Genealogical Guide into British Merchant Mariners Careers of the 19th and 20th Centuries |
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The First three of the following essays formed part of a Master’s degree course, in War Studies, at King’s College, University of London. The opinions expressed below cannot however be regarded as those of the college and are mine alone.
The fourth paper, on Valentine Joyce, is a purely private venture.
Incidentally, these papers if not already there, are due to be posted on the
‘Ocean Waves’ website as well.
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This essay was an effort in going some way to disproving the college line on education, which maintained that military establishments in the ‘civilised’ world were highly active in promoting education for the masses in the 19th century, because of the complexities that industrialised war brought. Thanks to N.A.M. Rodger’s wonderful book
The Wooden World I already knew of educational requirements in the R.N. during the Seven Years War and my own studies into merchant mariners of the 19th century made me realise that the situation was far more complex than portrayed at college. Whilst not written to support my activities as a genealogical researcher, this paper can be used as an aid to social history.
As originally written the first version was no more than an introduction to this intriguing character, delivered at a seminar for fellow students with no previous knowledge of the subject. A short paper and relatively lightweight, in order to put over salient points I deliberately mixed analysis with narration. The severe limitations imposed did not allow for research from primary sources and would not have served any useful purpose. In regards to Fisher, I read a number of biographies, but have judged Ruddock F. Mackay’s to be the only one that has properly sought to explain the inconsistencies in his actions.
‘Trial & Error’
- The Royal Navy and Mine Countermeasures 1904-1914
This is a slightly expanded and reworked version of my dissertation for M.A. I chose this subject for two main reasons. In my private work I had dealt with mines in relation to merchantmen during 1914 and from reading operational records had wondered precisely why the R.N.’s performance in mine-countermeasures had been less than excellent in the early stages of the war. An under researched subject, this was an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. Secondly, I had attended a lecture by two well-known British naval historians. The subject matter supposedly was a major reassessment of the Royal Navy’s performance at the Dardanelles in 1915. Whilst I was not fully competent to judge the analysis on gunnery, I was far from convinced in one of these historians’ statements on dealing with the Turkish/German mine defences in the narrows. This historian associated himself with Rear Admiral Keyes and the deployment of mine-sweeping destroyers. From the operational records I had already seen, dealing with the North Sea in 1914, it was obvious that destroyers were simply not suited to sweeping. I brought this point up, but was sent away with a flea in my ear. Apparently Roger Keyes knew a lot more about the subject than I. Having now done the requisite research on the pre-war trials, I am now even more of the opinion that sending fast destroyers rigged with sweep-gear up the Dardanelles would have been suicidal for the crews involved and pointless tactically.
How successfully did Britain respond to German Unrestricted U-boat warfare in 1917 & 1918?
This essay was written at a time when I was more than slightly disenchanted with my degree course. Overwhelmingly, war was treated purely as a military matter, without outside concerns ‘relegated to the footnotes’ if even mentioned. Highly critical of this, I decided to draw on my own studies and answer this question in a far wider manner than anticipated. I was rather surprised to receive a good response to this!
Having later posted this on an American university’s website dealing with the First World War, it has been used twice in Strategic Studies Group seminars at the United States Navy’s War College, Newport, Rhode Island. Disagreeing inherently with US foreign policy, I have, however, requested that the USN does not use my paper further.
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Valentine Joyce - Spithead Mutineer of 1797
This paper grew out of a piece of commissioned research. Originally tasked to research this mariner as my client had been told that he was a forebear of her husband, this proved not to be the case. However, I became interested in finding out more about the mutineer and his family. The result is but a ‘work in progress’. In time I hope to find out more about how the young Valentine was educated, probably at a church school in what is now called ‘Old Portsmouth’, but was then the heart of Portsmouth in the 18th century. I would also like to learn more about his family. There are also other questions I wish to answer, such as where he was lent when onboard the
Royal George and what previous links can be found to the other principal mutineers. As and when I get answers to these questions, I shall update the online paper.
For details on self published booklets primarily on maritime subjects relating to the First World War |
To contact the author please e-mail
lenny@barnettresearch.freeserve.co.uk
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