Grant awarded to complete manuscript The Royal Navy and the German Threat 1900-1914

The award by the Arts and Humanities Research Council is for his project ‘The Royal Navy and the German Threat 1900-1914’.

This fellowship will allow Dr Seligmann to complete the manuscript for a book of between 80,000 and 100,000 words and follows a former grant awarded to him – a British Academy small research grant –  which he used last summer.

The purpose of the book is to change current thinking on British trade defence policy in the run up to the First World War. It is intended to show that, contrary to the view commonly expressed in the current literature, the British Admiralty gave a great deal of thought to the possibility that Germany would launch an assault on British oceanic trade in the event of the two countries going to war and developed sophisticated countermeasures to what they perceived as the most likely forms of this attack.

Dr Matthew Seligmann commented:

I am delighted to have received this grant which will be a major opportunity for me to develop an important project which I think will make a significant impact on naval history. It’s all very exciting and good for the department as well, especially because during this academic year three other members of staff and myself will be receiving grants (Dr Matthew Feldman, Professor Jon Stobart and Dr Matthew McCormack).

Dr Matthew Seligmann

Dr Seligmann’s project will last until August 2011.

Each year the Arts and Humanities Research Council provides funding from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the Arts and Humanities. Only applications of the highest quality and excellence are funded and the range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. For further information on the AHRC, please visitwww.ahrc.ac.uk