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Dear Reader,

On behalf of the History Society Committe I would like to welcome everbody back to Brunel and introduce the most recent edition of the Top Hat. It’s been great to have a variety of students getting involved this term and we hope this continues. The society itself has had a strong start this year, thank you to everybody who has attended our events so far. If you want to get involved and you haven’t already, please remember to join the society on brunelstudents.com and like our facebook page for regular updates.

www.facebook.com/groups/brunelhistorysociety/

Thank You

Georgina HillPresident of Brunel University History Society 2

Page 5 Mary Rose: A Ship to Match an Ego

Stephanie Corner

Page 3 Paths of Glory: A Review

Zander Oldring

Page 7 Halloween: A Traditionless Trick?

Callum Boyce

Page 10 BUHS: Meet Your Rep

Various

Page 11 I.K. Brunel: Legacy of a Legend

Samuel Aylett

Page 13 Erasmus Experiences

Various

Inside this Issue

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Paths of Glory

Loyalty, Duty, Obedience and Respect. If I were to describe these values

to you I wonder how you would physically imagine a stereotypical example of such a person. Personally my first historical representation was to ally these values with the man many consider Britain’s greatest Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Whilst there may be a degree of contention over the success and morality of Churchill’s legacy I doubt many of you would discourage your children from upholding such characteristics and values. Indeed I remember much of my childhood was filled with a reiteration of my duty and loyalty to those who have supported me and acted with grace. Playing football, too, I am constantly reminded

of the need to Respect the referee and fellow competitors. Within this environment I doubt that there is little controversy as to the relevance and morality of such claims. Yet Kubrick’s Paths of Glory challenged my post-modern affluent westernised views.

“Challenging the entire morality and validity of warfare.”It goes without saying that the world of Stanley Kubrick in 1957 was vastly different to that of mine and yours in 2013. The Post-Second World War period, too, lead historians to appreciate and perceive history in a different way to those before or those today. The rise of the annals school during the

interwar period, when coupled with a wider social historical focus in the latter immediate post-war period are two such examples. They highlight a shift in wider human appreciation of the individuals within collective mass. And it appears that Kubrick, here, subconsciously or consciously contributes to this school. Far from concentrating on the orthodox causes of the Great War or victory, Kubrick shifts from a macroscopic to a microscopic view, which proves immediately powerful in undermining and challenging the entire morality and validity of warfare.

Such a perspective not only proves emotionally stimulating, but creates a platform from which Kubrick can challenge the preconceptions that what were originally strong in a liberal western world. Consequently Kubrick strongly asserts the idea that these principles are corrupted by human nature and the onset of a brutal sociological nexus. Indeed all of Kubrick’s filmography has a concurrent theme identifying and criticising the underlying brokenness of mankind. Perhaps this comes from Kubrick’s Jewish faith but it seems more valid that it is a product of 20th Century events altering the perspective on the individual. After all one must be aware that whilst the creators of this film had not necessarily experienced trench warfare, Kubrick himself being

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born in 1928, they had been subject to the most bloody conflict in human history.

And the Second World War went far beyond impacting the views of the individuals involved in creating the film. The relationship between the two wars also proves not only fascinating but massively influential in determining historiographical opinions. In the immediate aftermath of the war Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin identifies the key differentiation in the two wars when stating:

“On the contrary, the Second World War differs materially from the first in character. It must be borne in mind that before attacking the Allied countries the principal fascist states—Germany, Japan, and Italy—destroyed the last vestiges of bourgeois-democratic liberties at home, established a brutal terrorist regime in their own countries, rode roughshod over the principles of sovereignty and free development of small countries, proclaimed a policy of seizure of alien territories as their own policy, and declared for all to hear that they were out for world domination and

the establishment of a fascist regime throughout the world.

Moreover, by the seizure of Czechoslovakia and of the central areas of China, the Axis states showed that they were prepared to carry out their threat of enslaving all freedom-loving nations. In view of this, unlike the First World War, the Second World War against the Axis states from the very outset assumed the character of an anti-fascist war, a war of liberation, one aim of which was also the restoration of democratic liberties.”

Placing aside the ethical questions over the source’s origin and the obvious Marxist bias Comrade Stalin does provide a fascinating insight. He identifies that there was a motive for the Second World War, a justifiable cause that people could face death for. Yet in stark comparison many were left questioning why millions had died because of the shooting of an Austrian Archduke. And it is this Kubrick had to consider when understanding the First World War. As a result Kubrick comes to the only obvious conclusion facing him.

From this the director and his cast set about building upon the interwar work by Humphrey Cobb, vilifying the French generals and high command. And Kubrick perhaps best achieves this through the detailed realism of his filmography, shocking the audience with powerful war scenes, and undermining authority with intelligent embellishments. Not least this is achieved by associating the military with the old grandiose Europe that the American audience would be repulsed by. Indeed there is a fascinating correlation between the military, injustice and futility.

Yet Kubrick sees much more than futility in the First World War. Indeed where most see the obvious failings of the military and its underlying immoral decisions, he sees not an absence of good but a corruption and a brutalisation of what was once and is often still considered good.

Zander Oldring

3rd Year Undergradate

The Mary Rose was a war ship for Henry VIII’s Tudor Navy. It perished

in 1545 when fighting the French. It’s hardly surprising that it sunk though. As we very well know, Henry was rather big headed, and badly wanted to look bigger and better than everyone else. He definitely succeeded on the bigger side, shown in the refit of the Mary Rose a few years before its demise. He had demanded that the ship’s mast be built high enough so that it was the best in the ocean, and that it needed to have a complete extra tier of broadside guns, a series of modifications that would prove to be its downfall. What he did

not know was that the length of the mast ought to be the length of the hull for it to balance out perfectly. A larger ship would clearly move slower too. The French wouldn’t have wanted to sink the Mary Rose, but board and capture it, taking it as their own. Thus there is no evidence that French fire actually caused it to sink. So let’s blame Henry’s terrible designing skills.

“Great big, dirty huge cannons.” The Mary Rose fought for more than three decades and carried 91 guns. Great, big, dirty huge cannons. Not like those on the Golden Hinde on which Sir

Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 1577 for Henry’s daughter Elizabeth. That had minion guns with small minion gun balls. The Mary Rose was so grand that it took around 600 trees to build. In 1512 the Mary Rose saw its first battle against the French, allied with the Spanish. The expedition it was a part of cleared the sea of 12 Breton ships so that soldiers could land easily on the coasts of France. Success. From then on though, the Mary Rose may have been great in size and stealth, but any battles it fought (one in 1513 and a major one in 1522) led to no obvious victories or

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A Ship to Match an Ego

gains for the English side. Life aboard the Mary Rose was pretty grand too. The lucky sailors weren’t press ganged but volunteered themselves. Of course food was always around, what with Henry VIII controlling the Navy. There were even two big ovens in the hold of the Mary Rose, because we all know how well fire and wood mixes. “A rather stupid death for a rather stupid ship”

After the War of the Roses between Houses of York and Lancaster, Henry VII established the House of Tudor and managed to maintain peace for a long time with France with only a small navy behind him should anything go wrong. Then along came Henry VIII, married the Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon and became part of an anti – French regime. Henry VIII only inherited two ships from his father, not enough for a navy of the scale he intended. So he ordered two large ships. The Mary Rose, named after his sister or the Virgin Mary (or both) and The Peter Pomegranate. Don’t ask about that one. Later on he ordered the Henry Grace a Dieu to be built. Translated, this means Henry Grace of God - I did say he was big headed, and a warship was the ultimate

status symbol of the time. It was July the 19th when the Mary Rose and the rest of the fleet left Portsmouth to engage with the advancing French galleys. The Mary Rose was one of the first ships fitted with guns on the broadside, so that it could come about and fire whilst allowing soldiers to board the enemy vessel. What should have been spectacular and was very much anticipated to be so, turned out to be a bit of a disaster. I’d like to say that the Mary Rose put up a good fight, and sunk due to the great efforts of the French. However, what should have been a battle to defeat the French turned out to be a defeat of the Mary Rose, which, while turning about waiting for support, was accidently knocked over by

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a sudden gust of wind. Yes, even though it had five masts, it couldn’t control the wind. She was equipped with boarding netting to stop enemies getting on board when in fact all it did was trap Henry’s men on board resulting in them drowning. The many gun ports it had were wide open and water poured in. A rather stupid death for a rather stupid ship then, but I suppose that’s quite fitting.

Stephanie Corner

3rd Year Undergraduate

A Traditionless Trick?

What is a vampire’s least favorite meal? Stake! The time of year is

upon us again when children take to the streets dressed in all manner of different costumes and demand sweets from strangers. It is of course, Halloween.

The tradition of Halloween, or All Hallows Eve as it was traditionally known, has been dated as far back as the Celts. At the end of October and beginning of November many would gather to celebrate the year’s harvest, honour the saints and pray for newly departed souls. During these celebrations the Celts would light giant bonfires, dress up in animal skins and sacrifice animals and crops in respect of these spirits and as a way of defending themselves. This celebration and its combination with the belief that the 31st

of October was a time when evil spirits were at their most prevalent have been suggested as the most likely roots of the Halloween celebrated today. Early Celtic rituals, coupled with Christian traditions, from the 12th Century onwards, are believed to be where the tradition of dressing up on Halloween comes from, as town criers would roam the streets ringing bells as a way to remember dead souls. The Christian influence over this celebration is also thought by some to be an inspiration over the origins of trick-or-treating, as the sharing of soul cakes was also another way of celebrating the dead and was widely practiced in England.

Although the tradition continued in England its spread to America marks the point at which Halloween changed and began to grow into a widely celebrated

holiday. The large immigration of Scottish and Irish across the Atlantic is considered to be one of the main reasons that the celebrations began and developed in America, as the early Puritans had rejected All Hallows Eve celebrations when they fled persecution. The tradition that they bought with their Celtic and Gaelic roots evolved into a holiday in order to celebrate families and communities. These traditions began to evolve over the next few hundred years and slowly grew in their popularity.

“a replacement to the much harder turnip”The use of the pumpkin at Halloween can also have its origins placed within Scottish and Irish communities who travelled to America. Jack-o’-lanterns were used to ward off spirits and protect the living, and were originally carried by criers up and down the streets. The pumpkin made its appearance as a replacement to the much harder turnip, which was difficult to find in North America at the time. The pumpkin, being a softer and bigger vegetable, began to be used instead and has since become an international symbol for Halloween.

Thanks to the large baby boom in the 1950s, Halloween became geared towards 7

children and this is when we see the birth of the present incarnation of the celebration. It is thought that the tradition of trick-or-treating was revived in order to combat vandalism by local children. People believed that giving out candy or treats would prevent this vandalism and bring a community closer together, thus commemorating how Halloween had been celebrated at the turn of the 20th Century. This tradition grew into the world famous holiday that is now celebrated in many countries around the world.

The appearance of this ancient pagan tradition in America most likely helped the tradition of Halloween continue to grow. It has been suggested that if this tradition had been forgotten about, when many Scotts and Irish left the United Kingdom, then Halloween would have been added to the long list of dead or dying traditions. However, one English tradition was saved. This is largely due to the power of American society and culture. The celebrations across the pond start around the beginning of October with shops, schools and houses being decorated to an extravagant level. According to an article on bussinessweek.com, America is reported to spend $6.9 billion on Halloween this year, with a tooth-aching $2 billion being spent on candy (which in no way relates to the enourmous obesity problem in the States, no pun intended). This staggering statistic perfectly explains how the American people helped Halloween grow and become one of the most famous dates in everyone’s calendar, no matter how much they may wish to

ignore it.

The power of Hollywood and its constant revival of scary movies is surely another contributing factor to the popularity of Halloween, with hundreds of horror films being made every year. These are specifically released around the October and November time in order to cash in on ones desires to be frightened to death, while covered in popcorn. Franchises such as the Scream films and the endless Paranormal Activities all owe their gratitude to this near-thousand year old tradition which provided their success. Whether it be ghost, ghouls, spirits or murderers disguised in masks, it has all been seen hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Nearly every entry into the horror

genre relates back in some way, touching upon what our ancestors celebrated, to the cold, dark and damp evening of October 31st.

Will this tradition last another thousand years? My guess is that if Hollywood keeps on re-writing, re-casting and re-cycling these stories and the supermarkets keep thinking of ingenious ways of arranging their confectionary displays, then we will have to embrace the knock on the door and the words, “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!”.

Callum Boyce3rd Year Undergraduate

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9th NovemberShoreditch

Ale Trail

4th DecWapping Tour£10 per person

Brunel UniversityPolitics and History

Research Seminar Series - Term 1

30/10/2013 - 4pmMechanising the OrganicAndrea Bardin (Brunel)

Neoliberal Visions of OrderMatthijs Krul (Brunel)

13/11/2013 - 4pmConsolidation and Attrition of Defence Intelligence after the 1964 Mountbatten ReformsPhilip Davies (Brunel)

Failing to Build an Afghan Intelligence CommunityKristian Gustafson (Brunel)

27/11/2013 - 4pmColonial UrbanismWendy Pullan (Cambridge)

11/12/2013 - 4pmPseudo Warfare and Collaboration in Mandate PalestineMatthew Hughes (Brunel)

Rum, Sodomy, Prayers and the LashMatthew Seligmann (Brunel)

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Hello my subjects... I mean fellow hardworking students, the 8th October

shall always be remembered as the Great of the Load of Hay revolution. (A statue of me looking strong will be erected). I intend to enforce my manifesto of “looking after your interests” in the coming year, and if you

need any help I will be more than willing. Yours sincerly, your loving level 3 dictator.

William Bruce 3rd Year Undergraduate

Level 3 Rep

Hi! Well we seem to be surviving (so far) and settling in pretty well.

There have already been quite a few good (and sometimes heated) debates but so far this year we all seem to be enjoying our modules and the course in general. If there are any problems though please let me know so I can pass it on!

Josh Insley1st Year Undergraduate

Level 1 Rep

Level 2 - RepHi I am Jagveer the

second year History representative. I am a

Politics and History student though I personally prefer the latter to the former. With an actual interest in the subject of history I gravitate towards the classical period along with imperialistic and military

history. Finally as a practising cynic I await the complaints for the course but advise everyone not to get their hopes up.

Jagveer Johal2nd Year Undergraduate

MeetYourReps

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I.K. BrunelOur namesake Isambard

Kingdom Brunel is one of the most celebrated

figures in British engineering history. It occurred to me whilst preparing for my ‘Local Vintage’ spot on History Pitch that no-one has written an article about him! I am a Brunelian, proud of my institution and perhaps to a little over-enthusiastic about it on nights out...“he built bridges over the ocean, he built ships that sailed on the sea, the sea” and all that. So I thought that it would only be fitting to pen an article to celebrate our ‘Kingdom’.

Brunel was born on the 9th of April 1806. His father Mark

was a French Engineer who had fled France amidst the French Revolution. I.K. Brunel made his debut as an engineer helping his farther in building the Thames Tunnel which was completed in 1843). Brunel had however by this time already made his own mark on engineering history in 1831 at which time he won the bid to build the Clifton Suspension Bridge over the river Avon (featured in our University chant). Brunel had by this point made a name for him-self and had begun to engineer a legacy that would last long after his death on the 15th September 1859.

Perhaps better known to us was Brunel’s Great Western Railway. The Brunel University that we know today is situated amongst much of where the railway would have run.

Canals which were used during the 18th and 19th for transporting heavy good was a cheap method of especially compared to road transport, however adverse weather conditions often caused disruption. The possibility of railway travel in the 19th century caused great excitement and offered an alternative to older less reliable methods. In 1825 the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened and soon after came the railway revolution. Soon after demands for a railway linking the port city of Bristol to London gathered pace. Bristol during the 18th century was an important slave trading port, however after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and the abolition of slavery in 1834 mercantile started to decline and was soon replaced during the Industrial Revolution. The idea of a railway connecting Bristol to the country’s capital was well received. On 21st January 1833 representatives from the Bristol Corporation, the Society of

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Merchant Venturers, the Bristol Dock Company, The Bristol Chamber of Commerce and the Bristol & Gloucestershire Rail Road Company met to discuss the endorsement of a new railway. With such positive anticipation capital was not a problem but they had to select the right engineer for the job. Isambard Kingdom Brunel who had become well known for his previous work.

“Bridges, ships, railways and major docks.”

On the 31st of August 1835, after much deliberation and planning, Royal Accent was granted and the Great Western Railway was born. The GWR did not stop in Bristol. In 1837 the ‘Great Western’ was launched, the very first steam-ship to engage in trans-Atlantic travel. Brunel’s engineering genius connected London not only to Bristol but to the rest of the world. Brunel is famous for a number of other achievements. He built bridges, ships, railways and major docks.

The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum that was opened in 2002 in Bristol was housed in Brunel’s old Temple Mead station (grade 1 listed), the first purpose build passenger terminus. The BECM decided to house the

museum in Bristol because “The Museum is based in Bristol, not only because of Brunel’s splendid building, but also because of the city’s historic connection with empire through voyages of exploration, trade, piracy, shipbuilding and the railways. Bristol today is a culturally diverse community, symbolically reflective of Britain’s colonial past. Since opening, the role of the Museum has been widely praised for its contribution to the understanding of modern Britain through its exploration of the complex legacy of the British Empire.”

Unfortunately the BECM has subsequently been closed due to financial and political pressures. Indeed the BECM would make for a good article

in regards to contemporary politics surrounding the British Imperial legacy.

The mere fact that the BECM was housed in Old Temple Meads station is testament to how significant a figure is Brunel and the legacy he has left for future generations. He inspired the very institution that we as students enjoy every day and perhaps take for granted; I know I have in the past. I implore you to be as proud as I am of Brunel and Brunel University. Draw your inspiration from the rich heritage it boasts and strive to engineer your own legacy.

Samuel Aylett

Postgraduate Student

Holocaust Memorial Day

Brunel History Society Remembers

January 2014

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For my second year of university, I had the amazing opportunity

to go to Helsinki, Finland. A year abroad requires a lot of paperwork and organisation before leaving, but it is really worth it.

Once there, it is all about meeting new people, discovering new cultures and a new educational system. With six of my friends, I travelled to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. It was an unforgettable experience and certainly proved that travel broadens the mind. Being away from home for a year can indeed be a real challenge but one thing is certain; the experience will change your life and be personally rewarding (not to mention the boost of your CV and future career prospects).

All my courses were taught in English. However, it can always be useful to learn

another language. Therefore, I got to learn a bit of Swedish (as it is an official language in Finland); something I would have never done if I had stayed in England.

It is very important to choose a university and a country in which you are really interested in. I personally chose Finland because Nordic countries are advanced and well-known for

their excellent educational and welfare systems. Hence, it was an opportunity not to be missed.

If you are still not convinced that a year abroad has many advantages, I suggest you watch the movie ‘L’Auberge Espagnole’.

Karim B. El Ouazzani3rd Year Undergraduate

Erasmus Experiences

Studying in Paris was all you’d imagine, and more. I did all the normal cliché

stuff; I probably drank too much wine (grapes are one of your 5 a day, right?), I had my photo taken by the Eiffel Tower, I ate so much amazing food that by the end I was ready to explode and even managed to rile locals with my erratic attempts at speaking French. Yet it was none of these that made living abroad truly special. On an

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My name is Kirsty Jones and in 2012/13 I undertook

an Erasmus year to Lisbon Portugal. I chose to go to Portugal to experience a different culture, language and society which would be different to London. While studying a wide range of modules other than History in Lisbon I was able to learn about not only Portuguese people, history and culture, but also about the history, people and culture of other

nationalities from other students also on Erasmus. During my experience I met people from America, France, Germany, Belgium, Finland and more.

I also had the opportunity to travel around Lisbon and other parts of the country, and experience some of the most historic and beautiful sites in the world. Such places included; Sintra to explore Quinta da Regaleira and

Palacio Nacional da Pena, Evora to see the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) and Setubal to see the vineyards of where Portuguese Moscatel is made. Whilst sites in Lisbon included Castelo de São Jorge, the Monastery of Jeronimos and Cristo de Rei, which is one of only two monuments in the world, alongside the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) in Rio de Janeiro.

My experience in Portugal is one that I will always love and cherish, but it brought me the realisation that the world is a massive place containing many hidden treasures. Therefore if I was to offer advice based on my own experience, it would be to travel and see these wonderful places.

Kirsty Jones3rd Year Undergraduate

international exchange, every day is an adventure; this is what differentiates a short trip from living there. My time in Paris may be over, but it has opened many doors for more exploration. I’ve made a network of friends that covers every major state in the US, half of Europe and as far as sub-Saharan Africa. I’ve already travelled with or met friends in: Amsterdam, Barcelona,

San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Maastricht. I hope to be able to make my way out to see more friends in other fascinating places. Paris, as a global city can’t be contained by its geographical location alone. For me, Paris is the great friends I made and the experiences we shared: the drunk bike rides home on the Vélib’ (Google it!), the hours spent in the wonderful parks and wandering by the Seine at

night guided by the lights of the cafés, bars and monuments.

It’s difficult to fully express, so perhaps Ernest Hemingway put it best, when he said, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.

Douglas Booker3rd Year Undergraduate

With Thanks To:

Zander Oldring - ProducerWilliam Moss - Editor

Joshua Robinson - Logo Designer