More than just Jutland: the Royal Navy at war, 1914-18 Study Day Event

Southampton has a special interest in the battle, as the birthplace of the Grand Fleet’s commander-in-chief, Admiral Jellicoe, too often overshadowed by his more flamboyant successor, David Beatty. The latter’s famous remark on 1 June 1916 that ‘there seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today’ summed up the Navy’s immediate disappointment, tempered by longer-term satisfaction that Germany’s High Seas Fleet rarely ventured out in to the North Sea for the rest of the war. The absence of a much anticipated clear-cut victory left a lasting impression upon the Senior Service.

The study day will explore the battle and its legacy, while also considering the Royal Navy’s wider contribution to the war effort, often far from home waters. That contribution embraced both sea and land, with the Royal Navy also making a major contribution to the war in the air. Well before August 1914 the Admiralty was in the vanguard of technological development, and this continued throughout the conflict, whether building bigger dreadnoughts, commissioning high performance aircraft, pioneering armoured cars, or inventing what became the tank. As with 2015’s study day on Hampshire and Gallipoli, History’s Professor Adrian Smith will oversee a range of activities, from an insight into the Portsmouth project identifying local lower deck sailors to the screening of contemporary film footage, including the epic postwar re-creation,

The Battles of Coronel and the Falkland Islands. Eminent naval historians will explain the significance of Jutland while offering an overview of the Royal Navy’s multi-faceted role in the Allies’ ultimate victory. By the end of the day participants will be fully acquainted with why Jutland was so important, while comprehending more fully the Royal Navy’s overall experience across the full four years of the Great War.

Charges

£40 full rate (£30 Loyalty Scheme price*)

£25 loyalty rate (Harbour Lights Members, Friends of Parkes, English Teachers Network, U3A members, university staff and alumni)

£12.50 discount rate (students/sixth form & college students and those in receipt of income-based Job Seeker's Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Council Tax or Housing Benefit)

All prices include lunch and refreshments

*The Loyalty Scheme price is available for those paying the full rate, once you have purchased one study day at full price (£40) you are then entitled to pay £30 for other study days during the academic year. Please select this option in the Online Store but please note you can not use the Loyalty Scheme to pay for other guests.