Martin Cawthorne
Whilst volunteering on a project to digitise archives left in an attic at the Royal Hospital Chelsea​, retired finance professional, Martin Cawthorne, wished to make sense of what he had found and applied to our Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies. What followed was further studies through our Master's in Historical Studies and a published book.
'Included amongst the archives in the attic at the Royal Hospital Chelsea was some remarkable material from the Second World War, including a War Diary kept by the Officers of the institution. It details every air-raid alert, every bombing incident, a list of casualties and when and how they occurred, all written in almost real time. Much of the other archive material however was confusing and seemingly contradictory, including plans to supposedly evacuate some, but not all, of the Chelsea Pensioner residents out of London on the outbreak of war. Some 50 out of 500 Pensioners were subsequently moved out of London on the eve of war to stay with a retired army officer at his country house in Herefordshire. There were so many questions, and it was in order to learn how to properly investigate these apparent inconsistencies that I started looking for an academic course to guide me. This search led me to the University of Oxford's Department for Continuing Education website and the Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies. I was subsequently accepted onto the course having "pitched" my dissertation proposal, to investigate how the Royal Hospital Chelsea prepared for the Second World War and the failure to evacuate all of its Chelsea Pensioner residents.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies delivered everything it promised in terms of teaching me analytical techniques and the skills necessary to evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of different research sources. Oxford was also able to provide me with an exceptional academic supervisor in Professor Ashley Jackson, a Visiting Fellow and specialist in military history.
My Postgraduate Certificate research into pre-war planning also aroused my curiosity into what subsequently happened at the Royal Hospital during the war years. This in turn became the subject of my dissertation for my Master's in Historical Studies where I again had the benefit of Professor Jackson's academic supervision. As with the Postgraduate Certificate in Historical Studies, the Master's course also delivered everything that I required in terms of developing the research skills I needed.'
Following Martin’s completion of his Master’s and achievement of distinction, he went on to write his book The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War (September, 2024).
'The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War is written around a central core of academic research drawn from my Historical Studies dissertations. Interwoven into this academic research are the many and varied individual stories; of the Commissioners and Officers of the Royal Hospital, who went to such lengths to protect their In-Pensioner charges that they sometimes exceeded the authority vested in them; the nurses who refused to leave bed-ridden patients in the infirmary during bombing raids, some of whom were subsequently killed when the infirmary received a direct hit, and many more personal stories.
I have fond memories of my time at Oxford, researching the wartime history of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Since it first opened its doors in 1692, The Royal Hospital, as a home for retired soldiers, has always been associated with warfare. The Second World War, however, represents a unique chapter in its history when the institution itself was in the line of fire for a sustained period in a way previously unknown. The University of Oxford, Department for Continuing Education, Postgraduate Certificate and Master’s in Historical Studies have consequently been wonderfully enabling experiences. In helping me to make sense of the archives in the attic, my studies at Oxford have also ensured that the Royal Hospital Chelsea now has a much deeper understanding of a previously under-researched chapter in its own wartime story.
The publication of The Royal Hospital Chelsea at War helps to bring this story to a wider audience.'
Learn more: