British Military Bases in Germany: Living with the Cold War and its Legacies, 1945-2000

这个项目考察了冷战期间在德国生活的英国军事社区及其后果。它由两条截然不同的线支撑。首先，它将分析基础上的日常生活，以及支撑社区生活的不断变化的组成、特征和集体身份。40个口述历史访谈构成了这个项目的核心部分，并将其与之前关于英国人在德国的少数作品区分开来。这个项目认为，这群不同的冷战战士的声音对于理解冷战、1945年后的英国和20世纪后期战争的社会史是不可或缺的。我将作为口述历史访谈的一种改进模式的倡导者，认为“军事化”的经验超越了战场，并敦促战争的社会历史学家远离“以行动为中心”的问题格式。因此，我将强调口述历史作为分析长期社会历史的工具的巨大潜力。面试将在整个项目中分两部分进行。其次，我将利用这项奖学金进行详细的档案研究（国家档案系列WO32和WO 267， IWM和教育研究所），不仅要问为什么英国军队在德国，军事当局设想他们在未来的冷战冲突中扮演什么角色，而且历史学家应该如何概念化战后世界中以德国为中心的英国基地社区的更广泛的群体。莱茵河基地是如何被用作士兵前往爱尔兰、科索沃和中东的中转站的？这个网络类似于美国太平洋基地的“非正式帝国”吗？此外，驻军被视为英国融入欧洲的关键因素还是障碍？1990年德国重新统一对英国军事基地的位置有多大影响？此外，它还询问了针对“外籍人士”英国家庭和社区的政策是如何随着时间的推移而变化的。例如，它使用以前封闭的材料，询问在苏联入侵的情况下，从1946年到冷战结束，英国家庭撤离的计划是如何变化的。最后，是否有其他的网络——社会的、教育的或娱乐的——把在德国的英国人和其他海外军事团体联系在一起？这个项目有目的地坐落在冷战历史和英国社会历史的交汇处。它表明，基地不仅仅是战略前哨：它们是充满活力的英国社会社区，既封闭又面向外部，占据了冷战时期一些最动荡的地区。通过一个重要的专著提案，生活在冷战前沿，我将利用这个重要的案例研究，以促进我们在冷战阴影下的英国日常生活的理解和现代英国历史上最大的侨民社区之一的被遗忘的历史。它将在口述历史方法论方面发挥领导作用，举办“冷战之声”国际研讨会，并与人合作撰写有关战争社会历史学家适当口述历史方法的文章。该项目建立在英国科学院资助的试点项目（小额赠款Ref SG152333）的见解和经验的基础上，我采访了10名前军人的妻子、孩子和人员。这个项目将为我提供一个无与伦比的机会，成为一个领先的冷战历史学家，加速我在这个研究社区的进步，并建立在我对高等教育领导的浓厚兴趣。

This project examines British military communities living in Germany during the Cold War and its aftermath. It is underpinned by two distinct strands. First, it will analyse everyday life on the bases and the changing composition, character and collective identities that underpinned community life. Forty oral history interviews form a core part of this project and set it apart from the few previous works on the British in Germany. This project argues that the voices of this diverse group of Cold War warriors are integral to understanding the connected histories of the Cold War, post-1945 Britain and the social history of warfare in the late twentieth century. I will act as an advocate for a refined model of oral history interviewing, arguing that 'militarised' experience transcends the battlefield and urging social historians of warfare to move away from 'action-centred' question formats. I will thus highlight oral history's tremendous potential as a tool for analysing long-term social history. Interviews will take place in two tranches across the project. Second, I will use this fellowship to conduct detailed archival research (National Archives series WO32 and WO 267, IWM and Institute of Education) to ask not only why the British military were in Germany and what role military authorities envisaged them playing in a future Cold War conflict, but how historians should conceptualise the wider constellation of UK base communities across the post-war world, with Germany at its centre. How were the Rhine bases used as staging posts for soldiers bound for Ireland, Kosovo and the Middle East? Was the network akin to the US 'informal empire' of Pacific bases? Furthermore, were garrisons regarded as a key element of Britain's integration in Europe or an impediment to it? And how far did German re-unification in 1990 alter the position of British bases? Moreover, it asks how policies towards British families and communities as 'expatriates' changed over time. For instance, using previously closed material, it asks how plans for the evacuation of British families in the case of a Soviet invasion changed between 1946 and the end of the Cold War. Finally, were there other networks - social, educational or recreational - that bound British people in Germany with other military overseas communities? This project purposefully sits at the intersection between Cold War history and British social history. It demonstrates that bases were more than strategic outposts: they were vibrant British social communities, at once insular and outward-facing, occupying some of the most volatile areas of the Cold War world. Through a major monograph proposal, Living on a Cold War Frontier, I will use this vital case study to advance our understanding of British everyday life in the shadow of the Cold War and the forgotten history of one of the largest expatriate communities in modern British history. It will provide leadership in oral history methodology, through an international workshop on 'Cold War Voices' and co-written article on appropriate oral history methods for social historians of warfare. The project builds on the insights and experience of a British Academy funded pilot project (Small Grant Ref SG152333) where I interviewed ten former military wives, children and personnel. This project would provide me with an unparalleled opportunity to become a leading Cold War historian, accelerating my progression within this research community and building on my keen interest in Higher Education leadership.