"The ubiquity of war memorials can lead to them being taken for granted as part of our everyday landscape. Ashley Down Boys School was one of many Bristol schools that memorialised men after the war. The school’s records and the histories of the men who died can be used to examine the motivations behind remembrance, particularly in the decade after the war. By considering the original story of the placing of such a memorial we are able to reconnect to the initial impetus behind such commemorations; the simple desire to remember the sons and brothers lost in the conflict and the need to effect reconciliation with grief so those left behind could carry on with their lives".
Author: matthewhallows
Bristol’s War at Sea
This article is about how Bristol's involvement in each of the World Wars affected the atmosphere in the city, especially as a port city it played a key role in proceedings with supply transportation. Furthermore, Byrne emphasises the effect that the German U-Boats had, providing an invisible enemy to be wary of whilst the city played its part in bolstering the war effort.
Early Indian Visitors in Bristol
This article explores the early presence of Indian migrants in the city of Bristol, as well as how they acclimatised and adjusted to the surroundings. In addition, Contractor provides an insight into the travels of Mary Carpenter, and how they influenced her many years pioneering social reform in Bristol.
‘The Reformers of Bristol,’ 1830-1832
The purpose of this article "is to chronicle the impact of reform on Bristol public life. An earlier piece dealt with the Tory opponents of the Reform Bill. The present essay covers the Whigs, radicals and others who, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, supported it". Stevenson provides information about who was involved in a vital period of change for the City of Bristol.
The Wild West? Crime and the commons in Yate c.1800-1830
"In the summer of 1826, the local and national press was thrilled by the story of the Wickwar Gang... Only days before, ‘in consequence of some suspicious circumstances’, an ‘old man by the name of Mills, his wife, and their 4 sons’ were taken into custody and ‘immediately after their apprehension... disclosed the history of the lawless community with which they had been connected'". Rose Wallis provides in an insight into crime and disorder in Gloucestershire in the early 19th Century.
Smuggling through customs at Bristol in 1681
"The trade which made Bristol prosperous was also valuable to the English government. About half the Parliamentary revenue of the Crown came from Customs duties and Bristol contributed around £50-60,000 of it, perhaps up to ten percent of the whole". Jonathan Harlow looks at smuggling through Bristol's port, and various attempts made to lessen the amount of criminal activity".
Community Capitalism and the Governance of Victorian Bristol
"The phrase ‘community capitalism’ was coined by Charles Harvey and John Press: Before 1914, there existed in Bristol a close knit business community with a commitment to the economic well-being of the city. The leaders of this community– men like Sir George White, Albert Fry, Christopher Thomas and Joseph Wethered – formed an economic elite with powerful social and political connections. They jointly promoted many companies, held many directorships,and controlled a large number of major enterprises. This was not so much family capitalism as community capitalism".
The Glenside Irish: Irish Nurses at Glenside Hospital, 1920-1957
"When discussing the Irish in twentieth century Britain, one could be forgiven for thinking first of the ‘Irish Navvy’, building workers who were as notorious for their alleged drunkenness as for their prevalence on construction sites in post-war Britain... This article will focus on the Irish nursing staff employed at Glenside Hospital, Bristol’s psychiatric hospital from the end of the First World War. This is predominantly based on staff records from the hospital, which were often very detailed and included next of kin, as well as nationality, length of employment, religious affiliation and general comments from the matron on the suitability of the individual for nursing".
‘So much loss and misery’: taking the long view of the West Country flooding
"‘Those who have not been within six miles of Bridgwater within the last fortnight have missed one of the most remarkable sights ever witnessed in this country’, remarked the Western Gazette in November 1875. ‘Floods are no new thing in Somersetshire... but never,since the moors were artificially drained, never since railways were introduced, have the floods attained such a height, covered so enormous an area and caused so much loss and misery, as during the last few days". Steve Poole looks at the history of flooding in the West Country and how it has been presented, whilst taking into consideration how it has shaped the physical development of the region.
Aftermaths of war: Bristol in three civil defence plans, 1939-1967
"Three civil defence exercises covering Bristol – in 1939, the 1950s and 1960s – not only have an eerie fascination for their word-pictures of a city plunged into imaginary wars; the written scenarios also throw light on what concerned the scenario writers. As the likely damage in war became more than the authorities could handle, so the planners’ responses took a sinisterly authoritarian turn"