On 17 May 2023 University of Portsmouth PhD researcher, Emily Burgess, presented her paper on the press’s treatment of female gangsters from the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. If you missed the paper, the recording is available to watch here. You will need the following password T19#MUVU to access the recording. An abstract for Emily’s paper can be found below.
Emily is a graduate of the University, having studied for a BA (Hons) History degree between 2017 and 2020 (awarded First Class honours) and an MRes in History between 2020 and 2021 (Distinction). She was awarded the ‘Robbie Gray Memorial Prize’ for the Best Undergraduate History Dissertation in 2020, and started her doctoral studies in October 2021. Her programme of research is titled: ‘The monstrous to monarchical underworld: A study of female gangsters and their impact on the public imagination 1890-1939’.
Abstract
Fitting directly into constructs of the ideological ‘underworld’ as well as challenging aspects of widely accepted ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ criminality, the female gangster was presented contemporarily as an androgynous construction; directly opposing class and gender conformity which was heavily embedded in society. This period, ranging from the late-Victorian to the start of the Second World War was one of contemporary challenges and changes, including transforming press reportage and the acceleration of the ‘public imagination.’ Satiated with stories of the ‘women leaders of London underworld gangs,’ female gangsterism became a phenomenon unique to late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century urban Britain. By examining female gangsters, their notable crimes, and their refraction within the ‘public imagination’ through reportage, this paper seeks to examine the gendered implications of gangsterism, and the way in which female gangsters were fixated upon by society.
On 1 March 2023 the renowned jazz musician and cartoonist Wally Fawkes passed away aged 98. In his long career, Fawkes illustrated satirical cartoons for The Daily Mail under the pseudonym ‘Trog’. His most famous creation was the comic-strip ‘Flook’, but his illustrative work increasingly focused on British politics. In this blog, alumnus student Daniel Millard discusses Fawkes’ role in familiarising the British public with the country’s role in the ‘Space Race’ during the Cold War years. Daniel interviewed Fawkes as part of his research for his undergraduate dissertation, ‘Exploring together: how curators, correspondents and cartoonists presented the Space Race to the British public, 1957-1975‘. Daniel graduated with a first-class BA (Hons) History degree in 2019 and is now working as an optical assistant.
Fawkes self-portrait with his most famous creation ‘Flook’ Wikimedia Commons
In recent weeks two reported events have caught the attention. The first has been the news of NASA’s growing ambition to return astronauts to the Moon.[1] Attention has also turned to the sad passing of cartoonist Wally Fawkes, better known to readers as ‘Trog’.[2] Whilst for many, these two events appear unconnected, for space historians they hold special interest for it was Mr Fawkes, along with his fellow cartoonists, who helped keep the nation abreast of developments during the Space Race years (1957-1975), at a time when Cold War sensibilities ran extremely high.
Fifty years before Sputnik 1 was sent into orbit, Marion Spielmann concluded that cartoons offer the historian a valuable insight into the “prevailing feeling” of a nation.[3] It is surprising, therefore, to note that they have remained a largely overlooked resource for those investigating how the race to the Moon was presented to the British public. This is a clear oversight given that space activities were taking place in a century when the newspaper cartoon emerged as a national institution [4], and seventy-five million newspapers were being routinely purchased every week.[5] Many historians, it would seem, have been unwilling to stray beyond scientific, technical, or political treatments and it has been left to devotees of cartoons working outside the field, to extol their importance. Eminent space scientist Professor Colin Pillinger is a good example. Space cartoons, he believed, have the power to close the gap between expert and lay audience and so promote mutual interest in planetary science. [6]
In November 2018, as part of my final year dissertation, I was fortunate enough to conduct an oral history interview with Mr Fawkes. Whilst the interview took place four decades after the Space Race ended, it is to be hoped that the information gathered satisfies Portelli’s belief that ‘informants are usually quite capable of reconstructing their past attitudes even when they no longer coincide with present ones’. [7]
It is notable that Britain’s cartoonists charted both the major milestones of the Space Race and the lesser-known aspects of it. In 1965 Stanley Franklin, for example, presented a cartoon announcing the failure of the Russian Luna 4 mission.[8] How far such detailed mapping of events was led by the need to satisfy readers’ insatiable appetite for space news at the time can be determined through secondary and primary records. In 1948, American cartoonist Eugene Byrnes reminded his British counterparts that “you can make an acceptable cartoon on any subject on God’s green earth if public interest is thoroughly aroused”, [9] a sentiment echoed by Fawkes seventy years later when he stated:
I was working for a newspaper that was read by a lot of people. I felt that I had to shed light on what the public had a personal interest in at the time. My personal interests were never the focus of my work.[10]
Fawkes’ personal apathy towards space exploration was a direct response to his life-long disinterest in all things mechanical, admitting ‘I never drove a car and the most advanced piece of technology I owned was my bicycle.’ [11] But within his testimony we also get hints of something more profound. Despite an awareness that his outputs were for a wider audience, he acknowledged that his cartoons were ‘always about my take on something. Many people agreed, but I’m aware that not everyone did.’[12] Equally important was his declared understanding that talk around space science at the time was so diverse that ‘I don’t think it was possible to ever have a ‘one-sided conversation’. [13]
Whilst, in the late 1940s, British cartoonists used their artistic skills to hit back at American suggestions that the nation was in decline,[14] there is nothing to suggest a similar attitude prevailed during the Space Race. Britain’s cartoonists, it would appear, were fully aware that their home nation was never going to be a significant player in the story. On 11 August 1965, Michael Heath presented the public with a cartoon depicting a British spectator watching the launch of an American rocket while proudly announcing to his fellow onlookers that the on-board astronaut was wearing a British corn plaster. [15] Fawkes himself embraced such pessimism declaring:
The Space Race was ultimately the big two fighting it out. Russia won with the man in space so America responded by putting a man on the moon. In my opinion, that was very much the end of the game. We were always an onlooker. [16]
Such comments mark a significant shift in attitude from a series of cartoons produced by Joseph Lee in 1954 that inferred Britain would very much be part of the upcoming Space Age. [17]
Whilst primary evidence confirms that British cartoonists never sought to heroise the Russian cosmonaut, they never knowingly depicted him in unflattering terms as American cartoonists are known to have done. [18] Nevertheless, a preponderance of cartoons linked to the Apollo program suggest they generally viewed the United States’ space activity in more benevolent terms. [19] For Richard Wevill this hints at a persistence of cordial wartime relationships when Britain and America had fought closely alongside each other. [20] For Fawkes, the reason was far simpler. He found it easy to get information about the American space programme at a time when NASA had an open-door policy for the world’s press. [21]
Despite the lack of homegrown involvement, it is notable that British cartoonists continued to chart space progress throughout the 1970s – even though global interest had begun to wane after the Apollo 11 moon landing. [22] In 1972 cartoonist Mac acknowledged the growing apathy when he presented the nation with a cartoon showing bored staff at mission control, Houston, using their screens to watch Disney cartoons instead of monitoring the Apollo 16 mission. Fawkes himself echoed the lethargy declaring:
I don’t think that the public ever lost interest in space completely, but I’d say that the moon landing was the peak of its popularity. After the moon landing, I couldn’t help but feel ‘so what’ whenever space was brought up, so I understand how many other people felt at the time. It wasn’t that it was no longer impressive, it just wasn’t as impressive as that initial win.”[23]
With the recent announcement of America’s planned return to the Moon and the UK’s upscaling of its own space activities it is to be hoped that interest will be rekindled among Fawkes’ successors. If so, future historians would be well served by keeping a close watch.
Notes
[1] Nadia Drake, “Artemis I Launches U.S.’s Long-Awaited Return to the Moon”, Scientific American, (November 16, 2022), last accessed March 10th, 2023, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/artemis-i-launches-u-s-s-long-awaited-return-to-the-moon/
[2] George Melly, “Wally Fawkes Obituary”, The Guardian, (March 7th, 2023), last accessed March 10th, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/07/wally-fawkes-obituary
[3] M. H. Spielmann, Cartoons From “Punch”, Vol. I, (London: Bradbury, Agnew & Co Ltd, 1906), v.
[4] Peter Salisbury, “Giles’s Cold War: How Fleet Street’s Favourite Cartoonist Saw the Conflict”, Media History, Vol. 12, No. 2 (2006), 157.
[5] Martin W. Bauer, Kristina Petkova, Pepka Boyadjieva and Galin Gornev, “Long-Term Trends in the Public Representation of Science Across the ‘Iron Curtain’ 1946-1995”, Social Studies of Science Vol. 36, No. 1 (2006), 103.
[6] Colin Pillinger, Space is a Funny Place: Fifty Years and More of Space Exploration Seen Through the Eyes of Cartoonists, (Barnstorm Productions, 2007), ix.
[7] Alessandro Portelli, “The Peculiarities of Oral History”, History Workshop Journal, Vol. 12, No. 1 (1981), 102.
[8] Stanley Franklin, “If Number Five Shot Fails, We’ll Make Sure Number Six Shot Doesn’t”, Daily Mirror, December 7, 1965.
[9] Gene Byrnes and Albert Thornton Bishop, A Complete Guide to Drawing, Illustration, Cartooning and Painting, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1948), 134.
[10] Walter E Fawkes, Telephone Interview by Daniel Millard, November 5, 2018.
[14] Allen McLaurin, “America Through British Eyes: Dominance and Subordination in British Political Cartoons of the 1940s”, Journalism Studies, Vol. 85, (2007), 694-695.
[15] Michael Heath, “I Understand He’s Wearing a British Corn Plaster”, Punch, August 11, 1965.
[16] Walter E Fawkes, Telephone Interview by Daniel Millard, November 5, 2018.
[17] See for example: Joseph Lee, “London Laughs: Flying Saucer”, Evening News, January 6, 1954;
Joseph Lee, “London Laughs: Hire Purchase”, Evening News, July 16, 1954.
[18] Christopher P Lehman, American Animated Cartoons of the Vietnam Era: A Study of Social Commentary in Films and Television Programmes, 1961-1973, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company Ltd, 2007), 24.
[19] Colin Seymour-Ure, “FAREWELL CAMELOT! British Cartoonists’ Views of the United States since Watergate”, Journalism Studies, Vol. 8, No. 5 (2007), 730.
[20] Richard Wevill, Britain and America After World War II: Bilateral Relations and the Beginnings of the Cold War, (London: I B Tauris & Co Ltd, 2011), 1.
[21] David Meerman Scott and Richard Jurek, Marketing the Moon: The Selling of the Apollo Lunar Program, (Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2014), vii.
[22] Richard S Lewis, “End of Apollo: The Ambiguous Epic”, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol. 28, No. 10 (1972), 43.
[23] Walter E Fawkes, Telephone Interview by Daniel Millard, November 5, 2018.
In this blog Josh Wintle, who graduated with a History degree from Portsmouth last year (well done, Josh!), discusses a project he worked on in his second year with some of his fellow History students for the module ‘Working with the Past’, coordinated by Dr Mike Esbester. As part of their project, the students looked into how academic historians take their work ‘out of the academy’ and into the public realm. Josh and his fellow students interviewed our Dr Rob James, who researches leisure history, to find out how he has tried to engage the wider public in the history he researches.
The aim of the interviews we conducted with some of our tutors was to assess the impact historians’ research has on the public . Our interviews focused on the social impact of the outreach programmes they had undertaken, and the impact technology had on their research. Our aim was to make our findings widely available through this blog, so we regarded the interviews as informal conversations. Our focus was on the importance of research that involved those outside of academia, so we wanted to produce a project that reflected and included this audience. Dr Robert James gave an array of detail regarding how and why historians interact with the public.
Our first point of focus was asking the historians we interviewed what led them to choose their area of research. It was a simple question that garnished a variety of answers. The responses varied from personal interest to choosing areas of study that they thought would have present day importance. Rob, for example, told us that he became interested in his research area because he wanted to challenge the scholarship regarding working-class cinema goers. Coming from a similar background himself, he disagreed with some historians who said that people viewing a film were passive and easily persuaded by what was presented to them.
A recurring theme throughout our interviews was exploring the rise of social history. Linked to this was the growth in people researching their own personal history and the history of those around them. Throughout Rob’s interview we discussed projects he’d worked on and I was intrigued to find out that he’d worked with a community group who wanted to uncover the impact of the Battle of Jutland on the people of Portsmouth, and also with Pompey History Society on the history of Portsmouth Football Club.
The highlight from this project for me was discovering the desire of many people not only to learn about the history of the area around them, but also feeling the need to inform their communities of what they found. With the Jutland project, Rob spoke about the passion of the U3A group he worked with to remember those from the city who had died during the battle. He says they felt a duty to honour the people who once made up the community of the city, and also wanted to inform others of their findings.
In fact, many of the projects undertaken by the historians we interviewed had aims focussed on informing the public of historical events that took place within the local area. The Jutland Project, along with Dr Mike Esbester’s work on railway health and safety, produced nationwide databases with the aim of making this research accessible to a much wider population. The aims of social outreach are also present in the work of Dr Melanie Basset, who is undertaking projects that aim to teach school children in Portsmouth about the historic ‘sailortown’ and what the area they lived in looked like historically. The interviews ultimately highlighted the interest of many groups to research and share the history of their local communities.
Another key topic during our discussions was the element of technology, and how the advances in this field has affected the study of history. The main topic of discussion this question brought up was the development of archives and the process of digitisation. This topic brought up a lot of positive opinions, with Rob agreeing that digital archives can provide access to a much wider audience, including those outside of the academic community. Digital archives have both advantages and disadvantages, though. Rob mentioned that the long process of digitisation is ultimately selective, does not include all documents, and cannot truly cover an entire time period as some documents are left out of the process. Another point that was mentioned by Rob that I previously had not thought about was the element of “Wifi poverty” and how digitisation excludes those without access to technology, or those who cannot use it, including when these archives are hidden behind a paywall.
During our interview with Rob, we also spoke about the Covid-19 pandemic and the benefits of online events. This has allowed Rob to take part in projects that he was unable to travel to due to the pandemic restrictions. His talk on cinema-going was able to go ahead thanks to the development of technology, and meant he was able to connect with a group of cinema enthusiasts who asked him if he’d talk with them.
The interviews we conducted with our tutors showed the importance of interacting with the public. The projects they worked on were led by public interest and ultimately, through the work that both parties undertook, the community as a whole gained a better understanding of their local history.
In this blog Luke Nicolson, who graduated with a History degree from Portsmouth in July (well done, Luke!), discusses a project he undertook as part of the second year module, ‘Working with the Past’. Luke and some of his fellow students interviewed recent UoP History graduates and asked them about their careers since graduating. In this blog Luke reveals that the various opportunities the students undertook while studying at Portsmouth helped them in their current careers. The module ‘Working with the Past’ is coordinated by Dr Mike Esbester.
With the findings of interviews from four graduates of History who studied at the University of Portsmouth, this blog will explore the effectiveness and usefulness of extracurricular activities and external placements in relation to a History degree and a full-time career post-graduation. Those interviewed were Melissa, Cathryn, Chloe and Rebecca. Each interviewee gave a detailed explanation on which activities and placements were helpful during their degree, and explored how they prepared them for the career they now undertake.
The first graduate to be interviewed for this research project was Melissa, who was a project manager for the Epsom race course mass vaccination centre on the NHS graduate scheme. Melissa explained how attending a careers fair put on by the University of Portsmouth was where she first heard about the NHS graduate scheme. Emphasising how useful and helpful the careers fairs are, Melissa recommended all students that are not completely sure about what career path they want pursue, should attend them. She shared how the fair offers a wide range of careers that would interest the majority of students. Melissa also shared how she participated in a variety of sports societies during her first year at the University of Portsmouth. She explained how this helped improve her social skills, which was extremely useful in preparing her for her chosen career. Frequently meeting new people also enhanced Melissa’s communication skills, allowing her to communicate more effectively with her university tutors which helped improve her degree. Overall, Melissa explored how being proactive in relation to extra-curricular and external activities can be very useful in helping with your History degree and career once graduated.
The next person to be interviewed was Cathryn. Currently, Cathryn works in a member of Parliament’s constituency office where she regularly carries out case work and organises constituency events. During her time at the University of Portsmouth, Cathryn was a part of the History Society and actively attended the weekly social meets. She explained how these drastically improved her social and communication skills. Cathryn also explained how the History Society was very useful in helping her in her degree. Discussing and debating with like-minded students helped enhance her analytical skills, leading to improvements in her research and assignments. As well as participating within the History Society, Cathryn also undertook part time work experience. She explained how this helped improve her time management within her degree; she became more proactive which coincided with more in depth and thorough research. She also noted that part time work experience fully prepared her for her full-time career; she had the skills and experience required to carry out her job to an excellent standard. Overall, Cathryn emphasised the importance of taking part in extra-curricular societies and gaining part time work experience during a degree. She explained how these activities gave her sufficient skills and experience to improve your degree and prepare you for a full-time career.
Next to be interviewed was Chloe, who is currently employed as the Records Manager and Policy Officer for the Falkland Islands Government. During her first year at the University of Portsmouth, Chloe became an Archive volunteer at the Portsmouth City museum. Chloe strongly emphasised how important and useful this activity was in relation to her degree and career post-graduation. Firstly, she touched on some of the skills and attributes she gained from this volunteer placement that helped her with her degree and career. These included the ability to catalogue archival material, assisting and organising exhibitions, assessing the conditions of records and conducting basic preservation and conservation work. Chloe explained how all these skills directly linked to her History degree and ensured her research and assignments were completed to a level of high quality. Chloe also shared how the placement fitted well with her History degree. She was able to take advantage of the records and archives held at the museum. This placement also created valuable and useful connections for Chloe to use as referees to support her throughout her career. Finally, the placement helped Chloe gain professional accreditation as a registered member of the Archive Records Association, which was key to her progressing in her chosen career. Overall, Chloe showed how her volunteering placement was extremely helpful for her degree and her career post-graduation. She explained how this placement gave her various skills that benefited her research and also gave her the connections to help her progress through her career.
The final person to be interviewed was Rebecca. Currently, Rebecca works as a curator at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. During her time at the University of Portsmouth, Rebecca volunteered for a year and a half at the Royal Navy Submarine museum in Gosport. During her placement here, Rebecca gained key skills that helped her with her degree and full-time career once graduated. For example, she shared how the placement improved her confidence and social skills. The placement enhanced her ability to debate with other historians and improved her research and analytical skills. This helped with her degree as she was able to carry out more thorough and detailed research to create well written assignments. Rebecca also noted how the connections she made during her placement were useful when she applied for full time employment. Overall, Rebecca shared how volunteering can enhance your research and analytical skills, improve your confidence and increase your connections for possible full-time employment throughout your career.
All four interviews give a detailed and thorough explanation on why extra-curricular activities and external placements were important and useful in relation to current degrees and full-time employment. Attending career fairs, participating in societies, taking a placement, or volunteering allowed them to learn the necessary skills required for a History degree and also provided valuable connections which they all used to progress in their careers.
In this blog we celebrate the achievements of History graduate Callum Miller who is co-founder of ethy – a digital solutions company that allows consumers to make more responsible buying decisions, build confidence in sustainable brands, and help towards solving the climate change crisis. Callum was interviewed by our alumni engagement team about his journey from studying History at the University of Portsmouth to being co-founder of a purpose-led company, and the interview reveals how resourceful History graduates are, something also highlighted in recent studies by organisations such as the British Academy,
To read Callum’s interview, ‘Restoring consumer confidence in sustainable brands’, follow this link. Well done, Callum. Great work!
In this blog Archie Godden, recent History with American Studies graduate from Portsmouth, discusses a project he undertook as part of the second year module, ‘Working with the Past’. Archie and some of his fellow students interviewed recent UoP History graduates and asked them about their careers since graduating, Archie found out that having a degree in the Arts and Humanities has been really beneficial to them, something also highlighted in recent studies by organisations such as the British Academy, which Archie also discusses here. The module ‘Working with the Past’ is coordinated by Dr Mike Esbester.
A History degree offers the potential for a vast range of jobs, so whether or not you know what you want to do in the future, a degree in History is a great choice to make yourself highly employable. Not only does a Humanities degree grant you access to an extensive list of jobs and the flexibility to move between them, but also gives you the skills needed to be a highly employable individual. This employability is only expected to increase in the future, as current world issues will change the job market to demand new skills. Out of ten of the highest valued skills for the future, the University of Portsmouth’s History degree already offers nine, with the possibility of more in the future. Therefore, the course is extremely advantageous both now and in the future for making you more employable and granting access to a wide range of opportunities. We interviewed four previous students of the UoP History degree about their current careers to demonstrate just a few examples of what can be achieved.
Firstly, we interviewed Cathryn, who works as an assistant to a Member of Parliament, working in his constituency office. On a day to day basis, Cathryn processes things like casework; replying to queries, organising constituency events and meeting local organisations and schools to bridge the gap between the MP and the constituency. She explains that she didn’t know what she wanted to do whilst on the History course, and being an assistant to an MP was something she had never even considered before it came up. However, the skills she gained from studying a History degree allowed her to apply for and be granted the job. She also outlines the other pathways that were available to her, such as opportunities in law through taking a conversion course. She would recommend the History course for, “preparing you for the world of work with a broad spectrum of skills”, both supplying students with a range of choices of occupation and the appropriate skills to secure such jobs.
Next, we interviewed Chloe, who works as the Records Manager and Policy Officer for the Falklands Islands government. Chloe supports the management of all government records; adding records to the database and writing new guidance policies completely from scratch. Additionally, she designs storage facilities for holding records and develops the government’s electronic records and much more on a daily basis. The History course, “enhanced a variety of skills”, that allow her to complete such a broad range of tasks. The opportunities provided by the university, as well as local experience in Portsmouth, provided Chloe with the skill set and experience to excel in her field. She remarks that a History degree makes graduates well-rounded and that just among her cohort, students went into vastly different jobs, such as an administrator in the Houses of Parliament, a History teacher and herself, an archivist.
Melissa works on the NHS Graduate Scheme and, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, worked as Project Manager at a vaccination centre. On a daily basis, she ensured that health and safety checks were undertaken, contracts were completed as well as making sure the vaccine was ordered properly. She explains that during her course she had no idea what career to go into. However, a University Careers Fair revealed an opportunity in the NHS, demonstrating that History could lead her to a more analytical role which better suited her. “History opens so many doors” and provided her a lifeline to get into the position she is in today, despite not initially applying for the course. Originally, she wanted to do a Sports Science degree. However, she describes how a History degree got her into a better position as she began to lose interest in the sport side. Chloe’s advice to students would be to, “look for any and all opportunities and when they come, just take them”, as History can lead to any kind of job route, even those you don’t expect or may be unaware of, as in her case.
Finally, we interviewed Rebecca, a curator at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. Every day, Rebecca is involved in both the care and management of the collection, ensuring it is catalogued correctly, checking for pests, and interpreting it for visitors through means such as galleries and research visits. After graduating, Rebecca also completed a Master’s degree in Museum Studies, which is needed (or an equivalent qualification) to get into the role and is an example of another option for students who want to remain in education after their initial course. Rebecca explains how she had a very clear idea that this was the profession to which she aspired. Nonetheless, the History course provided a wide variety of careers opportunities. She recommends gaining as much experience as possible, which can help in both finding a career path you may enjoy, as well as aiding with standing out in future applications to jobs. Additionally, she reveals that with the changes the global pandemic has made to careers worldwide, the adaptability and skills that came with the course have aided in transferring to a new way of working.
Overall, the interviewees prove that there are an extremely wide range of careers available to anyone who studies a History degree; from museum curator to working in the NHS Graduate Scheme. A report by The British Academy suggests that in the future a growing, “range of sectors across the economy”, will need people with Humanities degrees. History provides much needed skills for employment, as well as greater flexibility and choice of work. In the future, this will only grow more as the impact of the pandemic sees, “local economies growing their creative industries employment twice as fast as other sectors”. History is an excellent subject to take regardless whether you have a clear career choice in mind or not, due to the wealth of opportunities it throws open, and Portsmouth is a great place to do it!
