http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/255 2026-04-10T20:43:00Z 2026-04-10T20:43:00Z Dasgupta, Bhaskar http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/31460 2025-06-14T02:00:26Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Spices in early modern England – a cross disciplinary study Authors: Dasgupta, Bhaskar Abstract: Reading popular English literature of the last hundred years would lead one to believe that English food always has been bland. This is surprising, considering that England, during the early modern period (1500-1850 AD) established the East India Company, partially for the spice trade and became the largest global spice merchant, centred on London. Hence, it cannot be that the English spice trade did not influence English Culture. What happened during the early modern period that significantly changed the usage of spices in English culture? Using an enhanced food choice model, this dissertation analyses how factors such as imports, exports, storage, consumer income, historical/geographical antecedents, spice production and pricing influenced the spice supply into England, which then impacted spice-buying behaviour and usage. The research has used primary data sources from the British Library’s East India Archive, UK National Archives, Newspaper Archives and English Ports Data, and relied on secondary academic data sources. This data was used for an economic historical analysis of the English spice trade, spices used as financial assets, crimes, spice usage in food and medicine, its representation in art and literature, religion, magic, perfumes, fashion, and clothing. The findings show that spice usage was common until 1800-1850. Thereafter, cultural, political, and scientific factors led to its decline. War necessitated distinguishing bland English food from spiced French food after Waterloo; the repudiation of the medical humoral theory positing that spices heal the sick; and a rise in atheism/non-religiosity and better education combined to substantially reduce spice usage across many aspects of English Culture. Since mid-twentieth century, the Chicken Tikka Masala curry has become the English national dish. This is no novelty. The study shows that English food has been spiced since Roman Times; the century of bland food (1850-1950) was an aberration. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Halstead, James http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/30848 2025-03-01T15:48:54Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Development and learning at the operational level in the British and Indian armies during the second world war Authors: Halstead, James Abstract: Contextualised with an examination of pre-war doctrine and military thought within both the British and Indian Armies this thesis examines doctrine, training, and selection of personnel to understand how the British and Indian Armies developed more effective ways of conducting warfare at the operational level between 1939-1945. It argues that the War Office failed to settle key doctrinal and organisational questions before the war, and subsequently failed to centralise authority over doctrine and training during the war. This meant that there was limited uniformity in doctrine and that this negatively affected the ability of the British and Indian Armies to learn and adapt together. Ultimately the War Office preferred to influence military conduct through the Military Secretary’s branch which instituted increasingly centralised control throughout the war. This thesis therefore emphasises the agency of national armies, local theatre headquarters and individual commanders in controlling their own individual courses of development over the central control of the War Office. This thesis offers a new perspective on the extent to which the armies of the British Empire worked and learned as an integrated ‘Imperial Army’ during the Second World War. Recent research has emphasised the integrated, and Imperial nature of the British, Indian and Commonwealth Armies. This especially emphasises their ability to work together, it is claimed, because of shared doctrine and staff procedures. To date, research has focused upon pre-war War Office doctrine and examination of military activity at the tactical level. This thesis has a different scope and conducts a comparative examination of the development and conduct of the operational level within the British and Indian Armies. This, therefore, studies the development of the British and Indian Armies and their doctrine at the operational level from across the world, not just that which was produced by the War Office. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z Metcalfe, Robert http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/29011 2024-05-16T02:00:40Z 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Submarines and naval layered defence in the first world war Authors: Metcalfe, Robert Abstract: This dissertation provides an entirely new understanding of British submarine policy and Royal Navy submarine operations during the First World War. British submarines operating in the North Sea were an enabling technology that freed the different surface warship types to be used to achieve their full potential. The Admiralty was thus able to implement flexible layered defence systems that were developed and modified to meet the changing strategic demands. The immediate prewar commissioning of overseas type submarines capable of conducting an observational blockade off the German North Sea littoral relieved the dangerous need for surface warships to operate such a blockade. These submarines provided a solution to the “North Sea Problem” that had been causing such great concern to the Admiralty. This rather than secret and unwritten plans to defend Britain by so-called ‘flotilla defence’ drove British submarine policy. During the war, the Admiralty was very quick to identify new operational requirements and new submarines were designed and built to provide specialist capabilities. The infrastructure to support submarine operations was also established with fixed bases and mobile depot ships. Submarines were integrated with surface warships in mutually supporting layers. In addition to the observational roles, the fleet submarines were to accompany the Grand Fleet, and in a fleet action to manoeuvre to attack the High Seas Fleet on its disengaged side. Minelaying submarines penetrated deep into the Heligoland Bight to positions inaccessible to surface minelayers. In anti-U Boat warfare, submarines were positioned in layered patrol areas integrated with surface warships. Weapon systems and equipment were also developed rapidly that expanded submarine capabilities. Postwar layered defence systems continued to be enhanced with new naval technologies and new strategic requirements, and they are still relevant today. Description: This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London

2024-01-01T00:00:00Z Joel, Michael C. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/25953 2023-02-19T10:56:12Z 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The United States’ psychological strategy board and operations coordinating board: national assessments and the Middle East, 1951 - 1958 Authors: Joel, Michael C. Abstract: This study examines the American intelligence community (IC) and the national security planning and coordination elements tasked with developing strategy and policy for the Middle East from the end of the Second World War to the invasion of Lebanon in 1958. While the history of American-Middle East foreign policy has been covered in the literature extensively, what has yet to receive the proper attention has been the role of special ‘planning and coordination elements’ established within the American intelligence and national security architecture after the Second World War. This study focuses on two of these elements: specifically, the Psychological Strategy Board (1951-1953) and the Operations Coordinating Board (1953-1961). This study asks the questions: can newly declassified archival material now available on the Psychological Strategy Board and the Operations Coordinating Board be used to provide greater context and new insights into America’s Cold War policy in the Middle East from (1951 – 1958)? What were these two coordination boards and what were the strategy and policy impacts that they had on American foreign policy to the Middle East? In the process, this study provides a comprehensive history of these two under-studied (and significant) boards adding substantially to our understanding of the American national security and intelligence history. Description: This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University

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