‘Land and empire: politics and the British aluminium company’ : Paper to the European Business Association Conference, Glasgow

For much of the twentieth-century, aluminium producers enjoyed a close relationship with national governments, not least as prominent players in military-industrial complexes (for example, Anderson 1951; Smith 1988; Grinberg and Hachez-Leroy 1997). This paper explores the ideological motivations and political activities of senior figures within Britain’s dominant native aluminium producer for much of the twentieth-century, the British Aluminium Company Ltd. (BACo), drawing on work by the author (Perchard 2007, 2010). As a company self-styled as ‘the Service’, support within BACo for imperial priorities and patrician values was sustained both by commercial imperatives as well as the social and cultural background of many of the directors (until the 1960s), amongst them hereditary landowners, retired senior military officers and latterly senior civil servants. This paper will examine the political activities of directors collectively and individually through their engagement with power elites (Mills 1956). In particular, it will focus upon the areas of imperial defence, and regional development in the Scottish Highlands (where BACo’s main smelters were based), to illustrate how their involvement in political activities and social networks was both self-serving and governed by instinctive values. In so doing it will also comment upon the ‘revolving door’ between public and private spheres. While calling into question the general application of the notion of a ‘gentlemanly capitalist’ order, this paper accords with Larry Butler’s view of imperial mining concerns and the British metropolitan government’s priorities during decolonization that: ‘it may, rather, be more accurate to speak of temporary convergences of interest’ (Butler 2007: 477; Cain and Hopkins 1987)

The Balance Sheet: The Costs and the Gains of the Bombing Campaign

Critics of the bomber offensive frequently argue that the material and human cost of the campaign far overshadowed the gains, and that the resources dedicated to it could have been more effectively utilized elsewhere. They have argued that the combat manpower could have been better used in the other fighting services, especially the army, and industry could have been used to produce more weapons for these fighting services. However, proponents of this line of thought assume that the weight of effort expended on the bombing campaign was inordinately high. Richard Overy maintains that it was actually rather modest. “Measured against the totals for the entire war effort (production and fighting), bombing absorbed 7 percent, rising to 12 percent in 1944–45. Since at least a proportion of bomber production went to other theatres of war, the aggregate figures for the direct bombing of Germany were certainly smaller than this. Seven percent of Britain’s war effort can hardly be regarded as an unreasonable allocation of resources.” Further, although some significant infantry shortages were experienced in 1944, they never reached an extremely critical overall level and were eventually rectified. With respect to materiel, none of the services was conspicuously wanting for anything by 1943, and the British effort was thereafter bolstered by substantial North American war production

“Under Fathoms of Salt Water:” Canada’s Ammunition Dumping Program, 1944-1947

This article examines Canada’s ammunition dumping program in the mid-1940s and pays special attention to the practical and technical dilemmas that influenced policy making and implementation. A pressing logistical crisis followed the end of the Second World War as crowded armaments depots ran out of storage space for leftover ordnance. In July 1945 a major explosion at the Bedford Magazine in Halifax Harbour heightened public safety concerns and influenced future disposal policies. From a range of imperfect destruction methods, dumping emerged as one of the most efficient alternatives; whenever possible conventional and chemical munitions were submerged. Although the quantities sunk by the Americans, British, and Russians dwarf the amount dumped by Canada, the Canadian dumping program was no less important to the nation’s postwar transition or without serious ramifications for Canadians and their coastal environments

Army-Navy E Awards in New Orleans, Louisiana

This thesis, in conjunction with an interactive digital exhibit, examines the Army-Navy “E” Award as it was applied to military defense industries in New Orleans, Louisiana during World War II. The thesis and the website is available for World War II researchers who are researching wartime manufacturing in New Orleans as well as teachers who are conducting lessons on wartime manufacturing and home-front activities in New Orleans throughout the duration of World War II. A thorough examination of historical records establishes the significance of wartime manufacturing capabilities of New Orleans during World War II by providing an historical narrative of those companies that received the Army-Navy “E” Award. This essay and exhibit also explore the effect the “E” had on the goods and services these businesses provided before, during, and after the war, and whether the companies stayed in business or failed after the war’s end. The thesis also considers the effect of total warfare in New Orleans, as defined during World War II, as well as the long- and short-term economic effects of the switch from a making civilian domestic goods to military production. Wartime manufacturing and military actions taken to boost production is an often overlooked and interesting lens in which to view New Orleans during World War II

Shares of the Great War Effort: Brazil’s Returns from the Second World War

The first half of the twentieth century was a period so fraught with politi-cal, military, and economic tumult that it is easy to see why several of the world’s most powerful (and some not so powerful) nations turned to totalitarian forms of governance. Indeed, nations like the United Kingdom, the United States, and (temporarily) the Republic of France, where democratic rule of law had been maintained after the 1929 Stock Market Crash, were usually the exception and not the rule. Regimes such as Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and the Estado Novo in Brazil were often established in reaction to the perceived instabilities and often deemed necessary for progress and peace. In the period leading up to the Second World War, however, the dichotomy between the ideologies of governance cre-ated two bases of international power, which provided the original basis for the Axis and Allied powers. This bipolar distribution was not written in stone (with the Soviet Union changing sides and the United States abandoning its official neutrality), but this view by and large provides a description for international political developments throughout this time period

Anzac Day

On 25 April, the anniversary of t he landing at Gallipoli in 1915, Australians and New Zealanders honour those of our men and women who have served and died in wars, peacekeeping and other operations. It is now 98 years since the landing, and 97 years since Anzac Day was observed for the first time in 1916.The date of 25 April was etched into the national consciousness with the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli. The Anzacs forged a tradition of service and sacrifice that has continued to this day. We remember that more than 1.5 million Australians have served their country in wartime, and more than 100 000 have lost their lives.Anzac Day is Australia\u27s national day of commemoration to remember those of our own who have fallen. Later in the year, on Remembrance Day, 11 November, we pause for a second time, sharing with other countries the tradition of observing a silence on the anniversary of the Great War\u27s armistice to remember the dead of all wars.This kit has been produced to assist Members and Senators with their representational and ceremonial duties on Anzac Day. It can be accessed by members of the public, but for copyright reasons many linked items are available to Members of Parliament only

Forging a maritime alliance: Norway and the evolution of american maritime strategy 1945-1960

The study examines the development of American maritime interests in the High North in the period from 1945 to 1960 with particular emphasis on the Eisenhower period and Admiral Arleigh Burke's tenure as Chief of Naval Operations. Specifically, it traces the reorientation of US concern about Soviet naval developments from the Baltic area to the Northern Fleet area after 1955. It explores how, in the latter half of the 1950s, Norway acquired a central role in US defence strategy as the US Navy - partly in response to the weakening of British naval power - moved into the Northeast Atlantic. By 1960 Norway was providing navgational support for the first generation of US nuclear-fuelled ballistic missile submarines and was playing a key part in the nuclear-oriented anti-submarine strategy of the US Navy. In 1960 the process which had begun in the late 1940s when the US increasingly came to assume Britain's traditional role as Norway's principal source of external support had been largely completed

Anzac Day 2015

This resource is produced by the Parliamentary Library to assist Members and Senators with their representational and ceremonial duties on Anzac Day. Introduction On 25 April, the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli in 1915, Australians and New Zealanders honour those of our men and women who have served and died in wars, peacekeeping and other defence operations. It is now 100 years since the landing, and 99 years since Anzac Day was observed for the first time in 1916. The date of 25 April was etched into the national consciousness with the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli. The Anzacs forged a tradition of service and sacrifice that has continued to this day. We remember that more than 1.5 million Australians have served their country in wartime, and more than 100,000 have lost their lives. Anzac Day is Australia’s national day of commemoration to remember those of our own who have fallen. Later in the year on 11 November—Remembrance Day—we pause for a second time, sharing with other countries the tradition of observing the anniversary of the Great War’s armistice to remember the dead of all wars

Geographical Constraints to Soviet Maritime Power

The aim of this paper is to identify the geographical constraints to Soviet marine power, assess their impact and explore alternatives that may be considered to reduce their detrimental effects. The paper will provide a background by addressing the recent history, status and current missions of the Soviet Navy, which is the vehicle for maritime power. The nature of the geographical constraints will then be discussed before assessing individually the impacts on the four Soviet Fleets: Northern, Baltic, Black Sea, and Pacific. Finally, some alternatives will be explored to counter the vulnerability of maritime power to those geographic constraints. It will become evident that the major constraints relate to military operations and thus it is assumed that the reader has some knowledge of such operations. In the exploration of future alternatives, speculation is inevitable, as the implementation of the Gorbachev initiatives is itself full of uncertainty