E.A. Milne and the creation of air defence: some letters from an unprincipled brigand, 1916-1919

1990 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-255 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Research Group ◽  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Accurate Knowledge ◽  
The First World War ◽  
Slow Moving ◽  
The Government ◽  
First Time ◽  
First World

During the First World War my father, the astrophysicist and mathematician E.A. Milne*, curtailed his undergraduate studies at Cambridge, and became one of ‘Hill’s Brigands’. They were a research group of talented mathematicians and physicists formed by the eminent physiologist A. V. Hill and centred at the naval gunnery school, HMS Excellent , at Portsmouth. Their investigations into anti-aircraft gunnery provided accurate knowledge, for the first time, of the behaviour of shells (1), and the conclusions they drew were compiled into a War Office textbook (2) which was still of use in World War II (3). In the early stages of the 1914-18 War, raids by the slow-moving giant Zeppelins were the chief aerial threat to England, because German planes patrolled behind their own lines and rarely flew across the Channel. With the development of improved aircraft, such as the manoeuvrable Bristol Scout, a stop was eventually put to these raids (with the exception of the later high-altitude sorties), but the bombing raids by the powerful twin-engined Gotha planes posed a fresh menace. An urgent need for effective aerial defence arose, especially as the Government had until then put its main home defence resources into anti-submarine warfare. The responsibility for defence was confused and uncoordinated with no single command head: Aerial Defence was returned to the Admiralty in 1916 from the War Office, and Home Defence was shared by the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps and the Home Defence Corps. The fusion of the RNAS and RFC did not take place until 1 April 1918.

scholarly journals The unfulfilled museum collection of works by G. S.Vereiskiy: The artist’s autobiography as a key to his creative heritage

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-107
Author(s):  
Oksana B. Vakhromeeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
First World War ◽  
Still Life ◽  
World War ◽  
The Arts ◽  
The First World War ◽  
The Subject ◽  
First Time ◽  
Artistic Heritage ◽  
First World

In 2021, the 135th anniversary of George Semenovich Vereiskiy (1886–1962) was celebrated. Vereiskiy was a talented, methodical, and self-disciplined artist who focused on the subject of his work. He was a member of the “World of Art” association, curator of the State Hermitage’s Department of Engravings, teacher of painting, laureate of the second degree of the Stalin Prize (1946), People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1962), honored worker of the arts, and member of the Academy of Arts. Vereiskiy was involved in various forms of art, especially drawing and painting. He worked in many genres (portrait, landscape, interior, still life, residential and industrial genres). In his drawings and lithographs in the 1920–30s, he was a pioneer of industrial themes. The main source of his work was love for Russian nature (his landscapes are imbued with a soft lyricism). His clarity of perception of the surrounding reality and high civil position enabled him to make the most important aspect of art — a portrait. Without exaggeration, it can be argued that Vereiskiy for more than half a century created a large portrait gallery of his contemporaries, from science and artists to the Knights of St. George from the First World War and military officials of World War II (1941–1945). Vereiskiy’s artistic heritage is very extensive and it is still waiting for its explorer. This article was created in order to establish a precursor for the study of the artist’s creative heritage, fragmentarily concentrated in a number of museum collections, which are discussed below. The reference point to the artist’s creative heritage is his autobiography, which the article introduces into scientific circulation for the first time.

From the history of the military past of composer and conductor Boris Galaev

2020 ◽  
pp. 39-44
Author(s):  
Felix S. Kireev
Keyword(s):  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Documentary Sources ◽  
Musical Activity ◽  
Russian State ◽  
The First World War ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Military ◽  
First Time ◽  
First World

Boris Alexandrovich Galaev is known as an outstanding composer, folklorist, conductor, educator, musical and public figure. He has a great merit in the development of musical culture in South Ossetia. All the musical activity of B.A. Galaev is studied and analyzed in detail. In most of the biographies of B.A. Galaev about his participation in the First World War, there is only one proposal that he served in the army and was a bandmaster. For the first time in historiography the participation of B.A. Galaev is analyzed, and it is found out what positions he held, what awards he received, in which battles he participated. Based on the identified documentary sources, for the first time in historiography, it occured that B.A. Galaev was an active participant in the First World War on the Caucasian Front. He went on attacks, both on foot and horse formation, was in reconnaissance, maintained communication between units, received military awards. During this period, he did not have time to study his favorite music, since, according to the documents, he was constantly at the front, in the battle formations of the advanced units. He had to forget all this heroic past and tried not to mention it ever after. Therefore, this period of his life was not studied by the researchers of his biography. For writing this work, the author uses the Highest Orders on the Ranks of the Military and the materials of the Russian State Military Historical Archive (RSMHA).

scholarly journals Socio-economic situation in Vienna during the First World War 1916–1918.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-182
Author(s):  
Rashid A. Nadirov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Status ◽  
First World War ◽  
Political Regime ◽  
Food Crisis ◽  
World War ◽  
The People ◽  
The First World War ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Government ◽  
First World

This article addresses the problem of socio-economic status of the Austro-Hungarian capital Vienna in the second period of the First World War - 1916-1918. Much attention is paid to the consequences of the war: the food crisis, the deficit, the rise in prices for basic necessities, speculation, protests, etc. It shows the transformation of the mood of the Viennese society in the conditions of the growing economic crisis. The food issue directly affected the quality of life of the residents of the capital, who were in difficult wartime conditions, and largely influenced their attitude to the current government. In this study, the task was to analyze the relationship between the government and the people and to find out why the people of Vienna, who had initially been patriotic and united around the monarchy, had joined the opposition by 1916. The author concludes that the food crisis, against the backdrop of the inaction of the government, which has used only the practice of prohibitions and restrictions on the civilian population, has become a key factor in exacerbating protests and leading to the overthrow of the political regime and the collapse of the monarchy.

Rescued from the Brink: the Collapse and Resurgence of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

2008 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 354-364
Author(s):  
Andrew Atherstone
Keyword(s):  
Church Of England ◽  
First World War ◽  
Conservative Estimate ◽  
World War ◽  
The First World War ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
First Time ◽  
First World ◽  
The Church

The twenty-five theological colleges of the Church of England entered the 1960s in buoyant mood. Rooms were full, finances were steadily improving, expansion seemed inevitable. For four years in succession, from 1961 to 1964, ordinations exceeded six hundred a year, for the first time since before the First World War, and the peak was expected to rise still higher. In a famously misleading report, the sociologist Leslie Paul predicted that at a ‘conservative estimate’ there would be more than eight hundred ordinations a year by the 1970s. In fact, the opposite occurred. The boom was followed by bust, and the early 1970s saw ordinations dip below four hundred. The dramatic plunge in the number of candidates offering themselves for Anglican ministry devastated the theological colleges. Many began running at a loss and faced imminent bankruptcy. In desperation the central Church authorities set about closing or merging colleges, but even their ruthless cutbacks could not keep pace with the fall in ordinands.

The Interim II: 1914–1922

Rilke ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 304-356
Author(s):  
Charlie Louth
Keyword(s):  
German Literature ◽  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Systematic Fashion ◽  
The First World War ◽  
French Tradition ◽  
First Time ◽  
First World

This chapter continues the examination of Rilke’s ‘interim’ work with a focus on his responses to German literature, which he began to read in a more systematic fashion at this time, moving away from the French tradition which he had virtually made himself part of in Paris. Although the First World War stifled Rilke’s writing, he remained committed to a poetics of experimentation. The chapter looks in detail at his relationship with the poetry of Hölderlin, which was edited fully for the first time in these years and, within the context of the war, goes on to deal with the ‘phallic’ ‘Sieben Gedichte’ and other poems including ‘Der Tod’, ‘An die Musik’ and ‘Laß dir, daß Kindheit war…’ ending with ‘Solang du Selbstgeworfnes fängst…’ as a prelude to the Duineser Elegien.

From Soldier to Peasant? The Land Settlement Scheme in East Sussex, 1919—1939

1998 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-462
Author(s):  
Carol A. Lockwood
Keyword(s):  
First World War ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
World War ◽  
Land Settlement ◽  
City Life ◽  
The First World War ◽  
Demobilized Soldiers ◽  
The Government ◽  
Post War ◽  
First World

The English rural myth suggested that being close to the rhythms of nature, as opposed to being immersed in the irritations and pollution of city life, would create a settled, healthy, content, and loyal population. By the inter-war period the rural myth depicted an appealing image of self-sufficient, independent peasants living an uncomplicated lifestyle based on agricultural pursuits. In the aftermath of the First World War this picture of a golden countryside was popular and admired by social reformers, members of the government, and the general public. The coalition government incorporated this myth into its post-war social legislation and created in 1919 a land settlement scheme for newly demobilized soldiers aimed at establishing a new base of smallholding agricultural workers to populate the countryside. The myth may have been appealing, but it turned out to be economically not self-sustaining and politically it got little more than lip service. A myth cannot be attained through mere legislation. This article examines the land settlement scheme in East Sussex during the inter-war period and argues that even in an area seemingly well-suited to such a program, the scheme was neither practical nor successful in its attempt to put the myth into practice.

David Jones’ In Parenthesis as an Intercultural Space

Tekstualia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (51) ◽  
pp. 63-74
Author(s):  
Jean Ward
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
World War I ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
The First World War ◽  
Visual Artist ◽  
In Parenthesis ◽  
First World ◽  
Poetic Work

In the epic poetic work In Parenthesis, published just before the outbreak of World War II, the forgotten British modernist David Jones, better known as a visual artist, presented a semi-fi ctional account of his experiences as a rank-and-fi le soldier in the London- Welsh Battalion of the British army during World War I. The author, like one of the heroes of his work, was at the front from December 1915 to July 2016, when he was wounded on the fi rst day of the long offensive on the Somme. By origin Jones was half- -Londoner and half-Welsh – and both of these „halves”, which were refl ected in the composition of his battalion, were important to him. He was also by upbringing an Anglican but by choice a Roman Catholic. The offi ces of the Catholic chaplain and the faith of the ordinary Catholics to which he was witness as a soldier played a considerable part in his conversion. He strove to embody in words the particular character of the speech and culture of all the members of the battalion, regardless of their origin or religious affi liation. He also showed respect and tenderness not only towards the culture of the country in which the battles were fought – France – but also even towards „the enemy front-fi ghters”, to whom, along with his friends from the British side, he dedicated In Parenthesis. Under his hand, the trenches of the First World War become a truly intercultural space.

Britain and the Middle East, 1944–1950

1951 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Fitzsimons
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Middle East ◽  
First World War ◽  
Suez Canal ◽  
World War ◽  
The Past ◽  
The First World War ◽  
British Policy ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First World

Since the end of World War II British Policy in the Middle East has been plagued by the devils of the past, joined by a more formidable company of contemporary devils, some of whom bear a mocking resemblance to still earlier ones. Most of this region was once largely in the weak hands of the Turkish Empire. In this area, strategic for the control of the Mediterranean and the security of the Suez Canal, British policy had been to support the Turkish Empire against the heavy pressure of Tsarist Russia, until Turkey's association with Germany drove Britain to moderate its rivalry with Russia, to accept her partnership in Persia (1907), following a similar accommodation of differences with France (1904).During the First World War the British sponsored the Arab Revolt against Turkey, thus shattering the feeble union of those lands, and creating in the Middle East a parody of the Habsburg succession states, complicated by concessions to France (the Sykes-Picot Agreement) and to Zionism (the Balfour Declaration).

State Purchase of the Liquor Trade in the First World War

1980 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Turner
Keyword(s):  
State Intervention ◽  
First World War ◽  
The Political ◽  
World War ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Private Interests ◽  
The First World War ◽  
The Government ◽  
Political Mythology ◽  
First World

In 1915 and again in 1917 the British government almost decided to buy out the whole of the licensed liquor trade in the United Kingdom. An examination of the circumstances in which this ambitious proposal was contemplated poses serious questions of interpretation for the historian of the first World War. The episode figures in the historiography of temperance as a missed opportunity to use the power of government to solve a longstanding social problem; this, however, was a minor part of the story. In 1915 state purchase was to have helped to reduce industrial absenteeism, and thus to increase munitions production. In 1917 it was to have conserved foodstuffs and saved shipping during the submarine crisis. It can thus be seen as yet another manifestation of ‘war socialism’: but it has two distinctive characteristics. First, the government had little understanding of the economic and social phenomena which it sought to control by assuming ownership of the liquor trade, though much political effort was put into the manoeuvre. Second, the private interests concerned were quite eager, partly because of pre-war conditions, to be expropriated for their own good as much as for the nation's benefit. It is an unexceptionable part of conventional wisdom that the first World War, like the second, was a major catalyst of change, and especially of state intervention in society. The history of state purchase shows how tenuous and haphazard the causal connexion between war and social change could be. The demands of war were (almost) translated into major state intervention, but the process was mediated by the political mythology of drink, by the operation in the political system of a powerful business pressure group, and by the shifting priorities of governments which subordinated all policy to the need to guide a war economy to victory.

scholarly journals The Origin of the Polish National Loan Fund and Its Operation on the Polish Lands

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3 ENGLISH ONLINE VERSION) ◽  
pp. 45-69
Author(s):  
Eliza Komierzyńska-Orlińska
Keyword(s):  
World War I ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
First World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Loan Fund ◽  
Monetary Unit ◽  
The First World War ◽  
The Government ◽  
First World

The idea of establishing the Bank of Poland as the central bank of the Second Polish Republic and introducing a new currency appeared shortly after Poland regained its independence. At the beginning of 1919, in the economic circles it was believed that one of the initial steps taken by the government would be to establish a new issuing bank in place of the Polish National Loan Fund, which had appeared on the Polish territory in an emergency situation—during the First World War, and which, contrary to the original (both German and Polish) plans survived for 7 years and was transformed after the war into the first bank of issue in the now independent Polish State. The Polish National Loan Fund established by the Germans as an issuing institution by way of the ordinance of December 9, 1916 establishing the Polnische Landes Darlehnskasse was granted the privilege of issuing a new currency, that is a new monetary unit under the name marka polska. The German authorities were guided by various objectives when creating the new issuing institution—first of all, the aim was to limit the area of circulation of the German mark and to create an instrument that would draw in the occupied area of the Polish territory to finance the war, contrary to the assurances of the occupying authorities that the PKKP would be an institution supporting the economy and banking system of the country—the Kingdom of Poland, whose creation was envisaged after the end of World War I.

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