Great War: Unknown War<\/a> centennial programme. There have been an impressive range of events, and it\u2019s not over yet, with more public lectures to come in the autumn and a Question Time event where a panel of experts will answer audience questions about the First World War.<\/p>\nSaturday study days have been a feature of our programme, and in 2015, 2016, and 2017 we took an important event and explored its international, national, and local significance: respectively Gallipoli, Jutland, and Lawrence\u2019s attack on Gallipoli. This year is different in that the study day at Avenue Campus on Saturday 30 June is DAZZLE: Disguise and Disruption in War and Art<\/em> and it complements a stunning exhibition of the same name at St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in Lymington (to be followed by an autumn exhibition at Southampton City Gallery on Dazzle artists post-1918).\u00a0 Supported by Tate Britain, the National Maritime Museum, the Imperial War Museum, etc., this is an exhibition which one would normally expect to see in London or Edinburgh.<\/p>\nIn April 1917 Dazzle painting was invented by the artist Norman Wilkinson to help protect British and Allied shipping from U-boat attacks. Bold irregular patterns of colour were painted on to the sides and superstructure of merchant and Royal Navy ships in order to confuse German submarine commanders observing their prey through a periscope: U-boat captains had to act quickly when firing a torpedo firing so as to avoid detection.\u00a0 2500 British ships were painted in Dazzle camouflage across the final eighteen months of the war, with the US Navy copying Wilkinson\u2019s initiative.\u00a0 The success of such an ambitious initiative reflects the size and scale of the British war effort by 1917-18.<\/p>\n
Organised by the Lymington exhibition\u2019s curator, Dr James Taylor, formerly Curator of Fine Art at the National Maritime Museum, the Great War Unknown War study day explores how Dazzle camouflage was adopted and implemented, and its close connection with modernist art in early twentieth-century Britain, notably Vorticism.<\/p>\n
If you want more information about the study day then e-mail me [as5@soton.ac.uk], but, whatever you do this summer, get down to Lymington and see DAZZLE: Disguise and Disruption in War and Art<\/em> \u2013 it really is a remarkable experience.<\/p>\nAdrian Smith, Emeritus Professor of Modern History<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Historians at Southampton have for the past four years been primarily responsible for the Faculty of Humanities\u2019 Great War: Unknown War centennial programme. There have been an impressive range of events, and it\u2019s not over yet, with more public lectures to come in the autumn and a Question Time event where a panel of experts will answer audience questions about …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3018,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[23,25,24],"class_list":["post-199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","tag-first-world-war","tag-lymington","tag-military-technology","column","threecol"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9DnLX-3d","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":694,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2024\/01\/23\/the-letters-and-diaries-of-else-and-siegfried-behrend-rosenfeld-in-performance-southampton-holocaust-and-genocide-memorial-day-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":0},"title":"The Letters and Diaries of Else and Siegfried Behrend-Rosenfeld in Performance – Southampton Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Day 2024","author":"Charlie Knight","date":"23rd January 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On 25th January 2024 on behalf of the city of Southampton, the Parkes Institute at the University of Southampton alongside Solent University will be hosting our annual Holocaust Memorial Day event. The evening will feature the testimony of Marie-Chantal Uwamahoro, a survivor of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes from the archive"","block_context":{"text":"Notes from the archive","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/notes-from-the-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photograph of Else Behrend-Rosenfeld","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2024\/01\/Else_Behrend_Rosenfeld.jpg?fit=823%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2024\/01\/Else_Behrend_Rosenfeld.jpg?fit=823%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2024\/01\/Else_Behrend_Rosenfeld.jpg?fit=823%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2024\/01\/Else_Behrend_Rosenfeld.jpg?fit=823%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":315,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2018\/12\/14\/david-lloyd-george-britains-other-iconic-wartime-leader\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":1},"title":"David Lloyd George: Britain\u2019s other iconic wartime leader","author":"Eve Colpus","date":"14th December 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On 14th December 2018, the centenary of the \u2018Coupon Election\u2019, Adrian Smith, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, argues let\u2019s not exclude Lloyd George from Britain's \u2018nation story\u2019. Cartoon by Leonard Raven-Hill for Punch, 1917 Polly Toynbee in the Guardian recently used the centenary of the Armistice to label the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comment and debate"","block_context":{"text":"Comment and debate","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/comment-and-debate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/12\/Lloyd-George-Punch-1917-224x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":439,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2019\/09\/09\/fly-like-an-eagle\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":2},"title":"Fly like an Eagle","author":"Jonathan Hunt","date":"9th September 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"My Study Abroad Year at Temple University in Philadelphia by Tom Golebiowski When I first applied to study history at the University of Southampton, the idea of going on a year abroad hardly crossed my mind. I was coming to Southampton for the fantastic course, the exciting social life and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Undergraduate"","block_context":{"text":"Undergraduate","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/undergraduate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Independence Hall in Philadelphia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2019\/09\/INDE-Square-960-X-480_1.jpg?fit=960%2C480&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":883,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2025\/11\/10\/the-war-we-see-podcast-conversations-about-war-imagery\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":3},"title":"The War We See podcast: Conversations about War Imagery","author":"Craig Lambert","date":"10th November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Author Hirah Azhar, Doctoral researcher in the Department of History, University of Southampton and Imperial War Museum Blog Who decides what we see of war? What is censored, erased, or amplified? And how have evolving technologies and political choices helped shape the visual narratives about war that we consume? 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Highlights include Neil Brand (from\u00a0BBC4\u2019s 'Sound of\u00a0Cinema' and 'Sound of Song') sharing his unique vision of the century-old war, Stephen Horne\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2018\/01\/Screenshot-2018-01-23-14.25.12-214x300.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":545,"url":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/2021\/02\/04\/teaching-in-an-age-of-covid\/","url_meta":{"origin":199,"position":5},"title":"Teaching in an Age of COVID","author":"Jonathan Hunt","date":"4th February 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Professor Neil Gregor Avenue Campus, where single and dual honours History students once congregated en masse. This year has brought its challenges for tutors and students alike.\u00a0 But the need to rethink how we deliver our teaching has also brought its advantages. These are not only practical \u2013 they have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comment and debate"","block_context":{"text":"Comment and debate","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/category\/comment-and-debate\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/236\/2021\/02\/Dr-Joan-Tumblety.jpg_SIA_JPG_fit_to_width_INLINE.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199\/revisions\/203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n