On June 16th I travelled to London for a two-week research trip to archives holding valuable material on the history of the First World War.  I stayed in a Quaker boarding house off of Russell Square and walked to the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth and the British Library next to Kings Cross Station.  I also made several profitable trips to the British National Archives near Kew Gardens in West London, where Government papers are held.  On my weekend, I visited relatives in Suffolk, who live near the location of a zeppelin raid that took place over East Anglia in 1917

Gullace, Nicolleta

English

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Faculty Travel Reports Global Education Center
Spring 2015
Nicolleta Gullace Associate Professor of History,
COLA, travels to England
Nicolleta Gullace
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus, nicoletta.gullace@unh.edu
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travel
This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Global Education Center at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Travel Reports by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Gullace, Nicolleta, "Nicolleta Gullace Associate Professor of History, COLA, travels to England" (2015). Faculty Travel Reports. 90.
https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travel/90
Nicolleta Gullace | Center for International Education and Global Engagement
http://unh.edu/cie/nicolleta-gullace[6/14/2016 1:09:48 PM]
Home UNH Home Contact/Emergency
 
Center for International Education and Global Engagement
Copyright © 2016, Center for International Education and Global Engagement  •  University of New Hampshire
Hood House  •  89 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-2398  •  Fax 603-862-0169
Thompson Hall  •  105 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-1288  •  Fax 603-862-0844
For questions about this website
          
For UNH main directory dial 603-862-1234
ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the UNH Webmaster
Nicoletta Gullace at
British Library with
Kings Cross Station in
background
MB Walker - German bayoneting
children;
Life - July 25, 1915 Public
Domain
Torpedoed Lusitania Public Domain; drawing printed in
New York Herald and London Sphere, ca. 1915,
Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and
Photographs Division, Washington, DC
Nicolleta Gullace
Associate Professor of History, COLA ~ England
On June 16th I travelled to London for a two-week research trip to archives holding valuable material on the history of the
First World War.  I stayed in a Quaker boarding house off of Russell Square and walked to the Imperial War Museum in
Lambeth and the British Library next to Kings Cross Station.  I also made several profitable trips to the British National
Archives near Kew Gardens in West London, where Government papers are held.  On my weekend, I visited relatives in
Suffolk, who live near the location of a zeppelin raid that took place over East Anglia in 1917.
My CIE grant funded research towards my next book, looking at the way civilian casualties
during the First World War – particularly female ones which had been highly publicized in
war propaganda – were later eclipsed by the death toll among male soldiers.  As pity
shifted from the victims of alleged German atrocities towards the very soldiers who went
to war to defend them, Europeans and Americans began to deny actual war crimes and see
themselves as the dupes of a mass propaganda campaign that fabricated horrors to fuel
the war. My research thus began by investigating some of the highly publicized “atrocities”
against civilians which took place during the First World War.
At the Imperial War Museum I spent time pouring over the
Prichard Collection, an archive of hundreds of letters written by
survivors of the Lusitania disaster to the mother of Preston
Prichard, who was looking for any information she could get on
the loss of her son. On May 7, 1915, the luxury liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat off
the coast of Ireland, within site of the shore.  Over a thousand people were drowned in the
disaster, many of them women and children.  The 128 dead Americans became a symbol for
those who believed the Unites States should enter the war on the side of Great Britain.  The
Prichard collection contained fascinating information from eye witnesses who described the way
the great ship listed to the starboard, causing life-boats to overturn and dumping passengers,
wearing heavy Edwardian dresses and suits, into the cold ocean, where they were dragged to the
bottom. Scores of these bodies later washed up on the Irish shore, and were brought to
temporary mortuaries in Queenstown, where they were identified by tailors’ labels, pocket watch
inscriptions, or papers found upon the elegantly-dressed corpses. Sadly, Mrs. Prichard never
found the body of her son Preston and, like many other mothers, she dwelled upon his last moments, wondering if he had died alone, trapped in
his cabin while searching for one of the scarce lifebelts that saved some fortunate passengers.
The timing of my trip to Britain was particularly auspicious since it coincided with the coming centenary of the First World War.  As I worked on a
series of on-line articles on the history of British Women during World War I in my room at night, I was immersed in the atmosphere of debate
over the meaning of World War I.   For those on the Left, World War I was the quintessential senseless war, where idealistic young men died by
the millions for a meaningless cause.  For those on the Right, particularly Education Minister Michael Grove, the First World War needs to be
reevaluated as a heroic struggle against German autocracy.  The on-going debate over the history and meaning of the First World War in Europe
gave life and immediacy to my research.  Thanks to my CIE grant, my new book will be able to contribute to this discussion.
About OISS Int'l Affairs Dual Major / Minor Study Abroad The World at UNH UNH Int'l Travel Policies & Resources Faculty Alumni


Nicolleta Gullace Associate Professor of History, COLA, travels to England

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryFaculty Travel Reports Global Education CenterSpring 2015Nicolleta Gullace Associate Professor of History,COLA, travels to EnglandNicolleta GullaceUniversity of New Hampshire - Main Campus, nicoletta.gullace@unh.eduFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travelThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Global Education Center at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Faculty Travel Reports by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationGullace, Nicolleta, "Nicolleta Gullace Associate Professor of History, COLA, travels to England" (2015). Faculty Travel Reports. 90.https://scholars.unh.edu/international_travel/90Nicolleta Gullace | Center for International Education and Global Engagementhttp://unh.edu/cie/nicolleta-gullace[6/14/2016 1:09:48 PM]Home UNH Home Contact/Emergency Center for International Education and Global EngagementCopyright © 2016, Center for International Education and Global Engagement  •  University of New HampshireHood House  •  89 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-2398  •  Fax 603-862-0169Thompson Hall  •  105 Main Street  •  Durham, NH 03824  •  Ph 603-862-1288  •  Fax 603-862-0844For questions about this website          For UNH main directory dial 603-862-1234ADA Acknowledgement | Contact the UNH WebmasterNicoletta Gullace atBritish Library withKings Cross Station inbackgroundMB Walker - German bayonetingchildren;Life - July 25, 1915 PublicDomainTorpedoed Lusitania Public Domain; drawing printed inNew York Herald and London Sphere, ca. 1915,Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints andPhotographs Division, Washington, DCNicolleta GullaceAssociate Professor of History, COLA ~ EnglandOn June 16th I travelled to London for a two-week research trip to archives holding valuable material on the history of theFirst World War.  I stayed in a Quaker boarding house off of Russell Square and walked to the Imperial War Museum inLambeth and the British Library next to Kings Cross Station.  I also made several profitable trips to the British NationalArchives near Kew Gardens in West London, where Government papers are held.  On my weekend, I visited relatives inSuffolk, who live near the location of a zeppelin raid that took place over East Anglia in 1917.My CIE grant funded research towards my next book, looking at the way civilian casualtiesduring the First World War – particularly female ones which had been highly publicized inwar propaganda – were later eclipsed by the death toll among male soldiers.  As pityshifted from the victims of alleged German atrocities towards the very soldiers who wentto war to defend them, Europeans and Americans began to deny actual war crimes and seethemselves as the dupes of a mass propaganda campaign that fabricated horrors to fuelthe war. My research thus began by investigating some of the highly publicized “atrocities”against civilians which took place during the First World War.At the Imperial War Museum I spent time pouring over thePrichard Collection, an archive of hundreds of letters written bysurvivors of the Lusitania disaster to the mother of PrestonPrichard, who was looking for any information she could get onthe loss of her son. On May 7, 1915, the luxury liner Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat offthe coast of Ireland, within site of the shore.  Over a thousand people were drowned in thedisaster, many of them women and children.  The 128 dead Americans became a symbol forthose who believed the Unites States should enter the war on the side of Great Britain.  ThePrichard collection contained fascinating information from eye witnesses who described the waythe great ship listed to the starboard, causing life-boats to overturn and dumping passengers,wearing heavy Edwardian dresses and suits, into the cold ocean, where they were dragged to thebottom. Scores of these bodies later washed up on the Irish shore, and were brought totemporary mortuaries in Queenstown, where they were identified by tailors’ labels, pocket watchinscriptions, or papers found upon the elegantly-dressed corpses. Sadly, Mrs. Prichard neverfound the body of her son Preston and, like many other mothers, she dwelled upon his last moments, wondering if he had died alone, trapped inhis cabin while searching for one of the scarce lifebelts that saved some fortunate passengers.The timing of my trip to Britain was particularly auspicious since it coincided with the coming centenary of the First World War.  As I worked on aseries of on-line articles on the history of British Women during World War I in my room at night, I was immersed in the atmosphere of debateover the meaning of World War I.   For those on the Left, World War I was the quintessential senseless war, where idealistic young men died bythe millions for a meaningless cause.  For those on the Right, particularly Education Minister Michael Grove, the First World War needs to bereevaluated as a heroic struggle against German autocracy.  The on-going debate over the history and meaning of the First World War in Europegave life and immediacy to my research.  Thanks to my CIE grant, my new book will be able to contribute to this discussion.About OISS Int'l Affairs Dual Major / Minor Study Abroad The World at UNH UNH Int'l Travel Policies & Resources Faculty Alumni

https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1089&context=international_travel

Nicolleta Gullace Associate Professor of History, COLA, travels to England

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of New Hampshire

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New Hampshire