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Chairman's Column TopmastsMay 2014 No. 10 The Quarterly Newsletter of The Society for Nautical Research Chairman’s Column The Anderson Medal The Anderson Medal for 2013 (for a book published in 2012), has been awarded to Professor Andrew Lambert of King’s College London for his book The Challenge: Britain against America in the Naval War of 1812. (Faber and Faber, London 2012) Andrew Lambert is the Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies at King’s College. He has taught at Bristol Polytechnic, (now the University of West of England), the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. As well as being a member of the Society for Nautical Research, he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and also Director of the Laughton Naval History Unit at King’s. His particular focus is on the naval and strategic history of the British Empire between the Napoleonic Wars and the First World War, and the early development of naval historical writing. Always popping up on television, he has written a number of important and influential books on British naval history mainly of the first half of the nineteenth century. His work has addressed a range of issues, including technology, policy-making, regional security, deterrence, historiography, crisis management and conflict. Each year, in memory of Dr Roger Charles Anderson, the Society awards the Anderson Medal for a book on maritime history published during the previous year. A published work of non-fiction covering any aspect of maritime history, such as archaeology, biography, economy, exploration, hydrography, industry, navigation, oceanography, science, shipbuilding, strategy, etc. Preference is given, in order, to the sole work of one author, to joint works by a small group of authors, and then to edited works. Part works and incomplete multi-volumes (e.g. trilogies) are not normally considered for the award of the Anderson medal. Dr Roger Charles Anderson was a founder member of the SNR. He became the Hon. Editor for the first time in 1913, and many of the informative articles in the early issues were written by him. He also used the non de plume ‘South Goodwin’ to contribute through the years. He served as Hon. Editor from 1913–23, 1931–2 and 1939–46, and was President of the Society from 1931-61. He was an original member of the board of Trustees of the National Maritime Museum (NMM) as first constituted, and he went on to succeed Earl Stanhope as Chairman of Trustees from 1959 to 1962. His nautical Title image: ‘Sixty Degrees South’ by John Everett; courtesy of the National Maritime Museum (BHC2451) ISSN 2049-6796 Topmasts no. 10 library contained many items and books, including many important overseas works, and these, along with his equally important collection of ship models, were donated to the NMM. Anderson was himself a prolific author with a special interest in the building and rigging of early sailing ships. He published a number of books which still stand the test of time including Naval Wars in the Baltic (1910), The Rigging of Ships in the Days of the Spritsail and Topmast, 1600-1720 (1927), Naval Wars in the Levant (1952), Seventeenth Century Rigging (1955); and Oared Fighting Ships (1962). I should also note that when he died in 1976 at the age of 95, Roger Anderson left a legacy to the Society which allows the Society annually to award grants of up to £2,000 to support research into any aspect of maritime history. Admiral Sir Kenneth Eaton Editor’s Notes Please read the information regarding the AGM and Victory dinner. Full information was given in the February MM. It would be nice to see as many members as possible attending. It is always a very interesting meeting and a chance to catch up with other members of the society. My apologies for the late production of Topmasts 10 which is entirely due to my inability to tame my new computer and to successfully transfer stored information from my old PC. However, the upside is that the new programme is much faster and has many more features which I will have a couple of months to master before Topmasts 11 is due in August. I am always pleased to receive news from overseas and would welcome any new articles from SNR correspondents around the world. One of our most prolific correspondents, Dr Gerard Acda in the Netherlands is retiring and I would like to place on record my appreciation of the many fine pieces that he has contributed to the SNR newsletters over the years. Later in this issue there is a notice welcoming his successor, Ron Brand, MA curator of the Maritime Museum in Rotterdam. A very pleasing feature in this issue of Topmasts is the large list of new members from all over the world, see page 18. My thanks to Helen Garvey for keeping me up to date with membership matters. You will see that the Flinders unveiling is now quite imminent and there is a full report on progress and events planned for this important bicentenary. All being well, commuters at Euston will be welcomed by the stunning memorial statue to Flinders when they hit the concourse on Monday 21 July. Virgin trains will be running the newly christened Matthew Flinders engine on their main line service too. Congratulations to Peter Ashley and all those involved in the progress that has been made towards bringing this project to fruition. Finally, may I ask you to look at the end page where I have asked for approaches from candidates to become the new editor of Topmasts. It is a very satisfying job producing this quarterly newsletter for SNR members and you will be given a great deal of help and support by the team. Barry Coombs [email protected] 2 Topmasts no. 10 AGM and Dinner on board HMS Victory 14 June 2014 3.00–5.15 p.m. (approx.) Annual General Meeting on the Princess Royal gallery of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth. The papers for the meeting will be sent out as usual with the Mariner’s Mirror. 5.30–6.30 p.m. Tour of HMS Victory to which all members are invited. 6.30 p.m. Reception on the quarter deck 7.00 p.m. Sit down to a three-course dinner in the atmospheric lower gun deck 9.30p.m. Leave the ship. Numbers to dine on board are strictly limited to a maximum of 96 persons. The charge for the dinner and reception remains at £65 per person. Members wishing to book should use the facility on the website or send their names and those of their guest with a cheque payable to the Society for Nautical Research to: Dr Byrne McLeod, Honorary Secretary, The Society for Nautical Research, 14 Milton Place, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2BT Tel. 01474 322499, email [email protected] If you require a special diet or vegetarian meal please advise the Hon. Sec. at the time of booking. Those needing car parking in the dockyard are asked to provide the secretary with the make, colour and registration number of the vehicle. Because of security requirements those who enter the dockyard car park must carry identity. A passport or photo driving licence will be sufficient. International Fenland Study Days? Linked River and Seagoing Trade in the Days of Sail The fanciful description ‘sow and piglets’ was sometimes applied to coasting trade in the North Sea and the various river systems that linked up with it along the English and Scottish coastline. The Ouse–Nene Complex, home of the old-time Fenland lighters, figured prominently in this important pattern of mutually supportive fresh and salt water commerce. Various regional bodies are currently considering ways to develop awareness of this matter, including the broader aspects and contexts – historical, literary, and so forth. Peterborough on the River Nene and St Ives on the River Great Ouse have witnessed significant meetings this year. It is of particular interest that St Ives Town Council has recently published an illustrated statement, ‘The Old Riverport in St Ives’, indicating how such thinking (expressed in various forms) could be a means to revitalize the town centre. One current idea involves wide-ranging ‘study days’. The aim would be to attract a varied spectrum of contributors, both from within the region 3 Topmasts no. 10 and also from further afield. This would allow the natural flow of the concept to embrace, for example, privateering’s influence out at sea and, therefore, its eventual effect upon related riverine activity. Consideration of similar circumstances in various parts of the world could well be included for comparative purposes. This present notice amounts to ‘testing the water’ in terms of possible contributors and possible areas of study and discussion. All enquiries and suggestions most welcome. Please contact Councillor John Souter, TORP Implementation Working Party, Town Hall, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 5AL (website in preparation), or the Fenland Lighter Project website Flinders Bicentenary The Matthew Flinders Bicentenary plans for unveiling his statue at Euston Station remain on schedule and it is hoped that the unveiling will be complete and the statue installed on its plinth during the week commencing 20 July. As you see from the photographs, it will be a fine memorial to this remarkable navigator. A limited number of maquettes 4 Topmasts no. 10 (see picture attached) are available from Peter Ashley. Please contact him at [email protected] for information on purchasing one of these fine replicas or to make a donation to the Flinders Memorial Project.
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