Commemoration, Memory and the Process of Display: Negotiating the Imperial War Museum's First World War Exhibitions, 1964 - 2014 Submitted by James Wallis to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Geography In October 2015 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. 1 Abstract This thesis explores the key permanent and temporary First World War exhibitions held at the Imperial War Museum in London over a fifty year period. In so doing, it examines the theoretical, political and intellectual considerations that inform exhibition-making. It thus illuminates the possibilities, challenges and difficulties, of displaying the 'War to End All Wars'. Furthermore, by situating these displays within their respective social, economic and cultural contexts, this produces a critical analysis of past and present practices of display. A study of these public presentations of the First World War enables discussion of the Museum’s primary agendas, and its role as a national public institution. In considering this with the broader effect of generational shifts and the ever-changing impact of the War’s cultural memory on this institution, the thesis investigates how the Imperial War Museum has consistently reinvented itself to produce engaging portrayals of the conflict for changing audiences. 2 Acknowledgements My utmost and warmest thanks to my supervisors, Professor David Harvey and Dr Nicola Thomas, for their guidance and unwavering encouragement over the last seven years, for which this represents a point of culmination. I also extend my gratitude to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Imperial War Museums (IWM) for their financial support of this Collaborative Doctoral Award. I further benefitted from the generosity of The James Dewhurst Trust Fund, which supported my attendance at several conferences. It is not possible to accurately thank all those staff members at IWM London who have contributed towards this project, but suffice it to say that collectively they make the institution what it is, and this proved to be a thoroughly enjoyable and fulfilling environment in which to conduct research. I remain indebted to my IWM supervisor, James Taylor, to whom I will always be grateful for placing faith in me to complete this project, and for his sage advice along the way. To the industrious members of the Regeneration Team – James, Paul, Laura C, Louise, Ian, Sophie, Jo, Becky, Laura W, Hannah, Sam and Ann; watching you pursue your collective goal with such passion and drive, and seeing these efforts come to fruition, was a great privilege. Thank you for your respective inputs, and I hope this record captures something of your combined experiences. I am grateful to Nigel Steel, Terry Charman and Kate Clements for sharing their historical expertise with me. For my archival research, special mention must go to Sarah Henning, the Museum’s archivist, Andrew McDonnell, the Exhibitions Registrar, the staff of the Research Room, and Helen Mavin from the Photograph Archive. Additionally I must convey gratitude to my fellow IWM PhD students Dr Alys Cundy and Rebecca Coll for sharing material of mutual interest with me, from which this thesis has benefitted. I would also like to thank the five members of the 2014 First World War Galleries Academic Advisory Board – particularly Professor David Reynolds, who helped to shape my thinking for Chapter 7 – and to John Pickford, Ruhel Ahmed-Akash and Roger Mann at Casson Mann. Additionally my heartfelt thanks to those individuals 3 who spoke with me at length about the Museum’s past exhibitions, especially those who invited me into their homes. My sincere thanks to friends kind enough to provide me with accommodation during my time spent in London. My parents and sisters offered support and encouragement, in addition to the generosity and kindness shown to me by my late grandfather, with whom I stayed for much of 2011 and 2012. Though he passed away in June 2013, he was a great source of inspiration. Finally to my wonderful girlfriend, Susie. She has accompanied and supported me through the intense highs and lows of producing this thesis, for which I will always be grateful. 4 Contents Page Abstract...........................................................................................................Page 2 Acknowledgements........................................................................................Page 3 Figure Reference Table..................................................................................Page 16 List of Abbreviations......................................................................................Page 25 Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1 – Researching the Imperial War Museum..................................................Page 26 1.2 – Background to the Imperial War Museum...............................................Page 28 1.3 – Aims of the Thesis...................................................................................Page 31 1.4 – Research Questions................................................................................Page 34 Chapter 2 – Literature Review 2.1 – An Account of the Recent Changes within the Museum Sector..............Page 36 2.2 – Historical Museum Exhibitions – Spatially Communicating Narratives of Time...................................................Page 41 5 2.3 – Displaying the First World War through Exhibitions................................Page 43 2.4 – Geographers Working With Museums and the Space of Heritage........................................................................................................Page 45 2.5 – Contextualising the First World War........................................................Page 51 2.6 – Considering the Imperial War Museum’s Function as a Memorial.........Page 53 2.7 – Final Thoughts.........................................................................................Page 58 Chapter 3 – Methodology 3.1 – Introduction..............................................................................................Page 59 3.2 – Ethnography 3.2.1 – “Following the Regeneration Team”– An Ethnographic Account.....................................................................Page 62 3.2.2 – The Challenges of Implementing Ethnography.........................Page 65 3.2.3 – Life with the Regeneration Team..............................................Page 67 3.2.4 – Working Out My Role in Proceedings.......................................Page 72 3.2.5 – Practical Considerations of Implementing Methodology...........Page 74 3.3 – Interviews 3.3.1 – Approach to Interviews.............................................................Page 76 6 3.3.2 – Interviews conducted for Chapters 4, 5 and 6 Research...........Page 80 3.3.3 – Transcription of Interviews.........................................................Page 83 3.4 – Archives 3.4.1 – The Imperial War Museum’s Archival Material..........................Page 81 3.5 – Conclusion 3.5.1 – Starting Out...............................................................................Page 87 Chapter 4 – ‘Oh! What A Lovely Exhibition!’ The Imperial War Museum’s First World War 50th Anniversary Displays, 1964-1968 4.1- Introduction 4.1.1 – “Then & Now” - Photographic Comparisons..............................Page 89 4.2 – Photography during the First World War 4.2.1 – Capturing the Conflict Pictorially...............................................Page 93 4.2.2 – The Daily Mail Wartime Postcards............................................Page 97 4.2.3 – Museum Displays of the Official War Photographs...................Page 98 4.2.4 – The Official War Photographs within Illustrated Publications.........................................................................Page 100 4.2.5 – The Wane of Wartime Photography........................................Page 108 4.3 – Sir Peter Masefield 4.3.1 – Background.............................................................................Page 109 7 4.4 – The Special Photographic Exhibitions 4.4.1 – The Dichotomy of Interpretation.............................................Page 113 4.5 – Masefield’s Use of the Official Photographs 4.5.1 – The Process of Selecting Photographs...................................Page 118 4.6 – The Wider Context of the 1960s 4.6.1 – Changing Cultural Interest in the War initiated through Key Works................................................................Page 120 4.7 – Conclusion 4.7.1 – “In a Snapshot”........................................................................Page 124 Chapter 5 - ‘The Exhibition to End All Exhibitions?’ The Imperial War Museum’s 1990 ‘Permanent’ First World War Galleries 5.1 – The Art of Displaying History 5.1.1 – The Impact of Frankland’s Ideological Changes....................Page 128 5.2 – Structural Strains 5.2.1 – The Necessity to make the Museum Building Fit for Purpose......................................................................Page 130 5.3 – The Appointment of Dr Alan Borg 5.3.1 – The ‘New’ Imperial War Museum...........................................Page 136 8 5.3.2 – Rethinking the Purpose of the Museum.................................Page