A Cultural-Historical Geography of Camouflage
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Forsyth, Isla McLean (2012) From dazzle to the desert: a cultural- historical geography of camouflage. PhD thesis http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3445/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] From Dazzle to the Desert: A Cultural-Historical Geography of Camouflage Isla McLean Forsyth School of Geographical and Earth Sciences College of Science and Engineering University of Glasgow 2012 1 Abstract To bewilder the enemy and mislead him continually as to our real positions and attentions is one of our most hopeful tasks and to do this ingenuity, imagination and daring are required. (Ronald Penrose, 1941, Home Guard Manual of Camouflage, p.13) This thesis approaches the cultures and geographies of military conflict, charting the history of military camouflage through a multi-faceted biography of this technology’s life-path. By studying the scientific biography of Dr Hugh Cott (1900-1987), eminent zoologist and skilful artist turned camoufleur in WWII, entwined with the fragmentary mobile biographies of other camouflage practioners, including artists, animals and even a magician, the sites and spacings of camouflage’s life-path from the late-nineteenth century into the Desert War are traced. The military’s enrolment of diverse outside specialists practised in visual literacy is examined to reveal that technological development led to transformations, not only in military knowledge, but also in the militarism of knowledges such as science and art. Moving through the scientists’ fieldsite, the committee boardroom, the military training site and the soldiers’ battlefield, this thesis uncovers the history of a most ambiguous military invention, exposing its darker patterning and thus subverting a long-dominant narrative of camouflage as solely a protective technology. Furthermore, this camouflage biography is narrated from the perspective of the technology’s inventors and practioners as a means to encounter the situated and also embodied nature of technological innovation in military conflict. It demonstrates that, as camouflage transformed battlefields into unsettling theatres of war, there were lasting consequences not only for knowledge and technology, but also for both the ethics of battle and the individuals enrolled in this process. Overall, this geographically structured biography explores how camouflage is a jarring technology, combining aesthetic and artistic appreciation with complex scientific theory, to guileful and deadly effect. 2 Contents List of Figures 4 Acknowledgements 6 Author’s Declaration 8 Abbreviations 9 Chapter 1. Introduction 10 Chapter 2. A Genealogy of Camouflage through Geography 20 Chapter 3. Abundance, Fragments and Scrap 63 Chapter 4. Dazzling and Disrupting Conflict 88 Chapter 5. Hiding in Plain Sight 121 Chapter 6. The Politics of Position 156 Chapter 7. Tricksters Transformed to Soldiers 189 Chapter 8. Fleurs on the Offensive 220 Chapter 9. Conclusion 273 Bibliography 295 3 List of Figures Frontispiece. Camouflaged pillbox - IWM H3306 The ABC of Camouflage: A-C Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece Chapter 2. Soldier framed by camouflaged net - IWM C355 The ABC of Camouflage: D-F Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece Chapter 3. Letter from Cott to Kerr Figure 1. Coincident pattering - H.B. Cott Adaptive Coloration in Animals, p.70 Figure 2. British Soldiers in the Desert War - WWII photographs Middle East, photographer unknown Figure 3. Grave in the Desert War - WWII photographs Middle East, photographer unknown The ABC of Camouflage: G-J Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece Chapter 4. WWI British Gunboat HMS KILDAGAN demonstrating “dazzle” - IWM Q43387 Figure 4. Flamingos by lake - A. Thayer (1909) Concealing-coloration in the animal kingdom; An exposition of the laws of disguise through color and pattern: being a summary of Abbott H. Thayer's discoveries p.156 Figure 5. Camouflage Peacock - A. Thayer (1909) Concealing-coloration in the animal kingdom; An exposition of the laws of disguise through color and pattern: being a summary of Abbott H. Thayer's discoveries frontispiece Figure 6. Ships at the opening of the Kiel Canal – GUA DC6/230 Figure 7. WWI British Gunboat HMS KILDAGAN demonstrating 'dazzle' - IWM Q43387 Figure 8. Illustration 'Air Battle' Norman Wilkinson -GUA DC6/706 Figure 9. Aerial photograph of an area near Bruges - S.J. Solomon (1920) Strategic Camouflage p.42 The ABC of Camouflage: K-M Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece Chapter 5. Photograph of Hugh Cott in the field - courtesy of David Houston Figure 10. Hidden partridge - H.B. Cott GUA DC6/778/1 Figure 11. Hugh Bamford Cott - Courtesy of Kraig Adler How-To-Guide no.1: Cott’s “How-to-Guide” for Improvised Hide Building - H.B. Cott (1956), Zoological Photography in Practice: A contribution to the technique and art of wild animal portraiture p.169 & H.B. Cott (1975), Looking at Animals: A zoologist in Africa, pp.192-194 Figure 12. Stick insect displaying colour resemblance and cryptic behaviour - H.B. Cott CZM Figure 13. Young ringed plover - H.B. Cott CZM Figure 14. Sailor the cat - H.B. Cott GUA DC6/778/3 Figure 15. Gannet colony on Ailsa Craig - H.B. Cott Zoological Photography in Practice: A contribution to the technique and art of wild animal portraiture, p.302 Figure 16. Ocellus - H.B. Cott (1956), Zoological Photography in Practice: A contribution to the technique and art of wild animal portraiture, p.246 Figure 17. Cryptically concealed eggs - H.B. Cott CZM Figure 18. Cryptically concealed bird - H.B. Cott (1940) Adaptive Coloration in Animals, p.353 Figure 19. Leopard - H.B. Cott Courtesy of Stephen Tomkins Figure 20. Black heron hooded whilst fishing - H.B. Cott (1975) Looking at Animals: A zoologist in Africa, p.118 Figure 21. Elephants - H.B. Cott Courtesy of Stephen Tomkins 4 The ABC of Camouflage: N-P Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece chapter 6. Camouflaging a Railway gun - H.B. Cott GUA DC6/707/3 Figure 22. Effective disruptive contrasting of copperhead snake - H.B. Cott (1940) Adaptive Coloration in Animals, p.66 Figure 23. Obliterative shading of guns - H.B. Cott 1940) Adaptive Coloration in Animals, p.45 Figure 24. Photograph of two camouflaged railway guns– H.B. Cott GUA DC/707/1 Figure 25. Aerial view of railway gun experiment - H.B. Cott GUA DC6/707/26 Figure 26. Kerr's pamphlet explaining Cott's gun - GUA DC6/694 The ABC of Camouflage: Q Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece Chapter 7. Aerial view of Farnham Castle - courtesy of Farnham Castle Figure 27. Farnham Castle - courtesy of Farnham Castle Figure 28. Photographs of dummy practise in the castle grounds - J. McIntosh Patrick DG A641/16/4/3/12 Figure 29. Watercolours of camouflage in nature - J. McIntosh Patrick DG A64/1/16/4/3/5 Figure 30. The visibility of the military from above - IWM C4115 Figure 31. The aerial view on the vertical angle - IWM C1664 Figure 32. The aerial view on the oblique angle - IWM HU 93048 The ABC of Camouflage: R-T Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 Frontispiece Chapter 8. If going much further please take one...” Sign erected on the El Alamein road by Australian troops, 14 September 1942 - IWM E 16821 Figure 33. Sandstorm - IMW CBM 1358 Figure 34. Relaxing on leave -WWII photographs Middle East Figure 35. The Spinx -WWII photographs Middle East Figure 36. Plain Velvet - IWM K80/451 p.13 Figure 37. Velvet with some pattern - IWM K80/451 p.14 Figure 38. Another desert pattern - IWM K80/451 p.14 Figure 39. Wadi pattern - IWM K80/451 p.15 Figure 40. Polka dot pattern - IWM K80/451 p.15 Figure 41. Net demonstrating the inadequacies of standard-issue camouflage - H.B. Cott - GUA DC6/707/4 Figure 42. Sand nestling camouflage - GUA DC6/707/6 Figure 43. Dummy tank in desert - IWM E 10147 How-To-Guide no.2: “How-to-Guide” for Improvised Dummy Tank Building - Middle East Force Headquarter 1942, Camouflage Information Sheets No.24 - NA 83.9(1).0/5 K80/455 Figure 44. Practising camouflage - IWM E 90 Figure 45. The fortnightly fleur - Sykes, S. (1990) Deceivers Ever p.79 Figure 46. Jasper Maskelyne - IWM HU 95036 Figure 47. Dummy tank - IWM E 9697 Figure 48. Flying over the desert – IWMTR 27 Figure 40. Into battle - IWM E 18474 Figure 50. Aftermath - IWM E 6734 Figure 51. Hugh Cott -Dust jacket of Looking at Animals: A Zoologist in Africa Figure 52. Coastal diorama - ZM Figure 53. Remnants of war – CZM The ABC of Camouflage: U-X Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 The ABC of Camouflage: Y-Z Major D A Pavitt Lectures and Training - IWM86/50/3/13 5 Acknowledgements The completion of this research project has been a collaborative process for which many people deserve thanks. First, thank you to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding this project (Award Number 2008/140041). Thank you also to all the staff at the archives I visited during my studies, Cambridge Zoology Museum, the Dean Gallery, Farnham Castle, Glasgow University Archives, Glasgow University Zoology Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Archives, the Royal Commission on the Ancient Historical Monuments of Scotland, Royal Engineers Library and Museum, Selwyn College Archives and Wren Library Trinity College.