The Wartime Cityscape: An Exploration of the Functionality of Buildings, Networks, Open Spaces and Human Capital and the Major Role They Played in Britain’s War Effort, 1939 - 1945 (With a Particular Focus on Glasgow)

Abstract

Most studies that concentrate on the impact of conflict on cityscapes, give scant attention to the multifarious ways the fabric of the city is utilised in wartime as part of the war effort. The historiography of wartime cities is usually from an economic, political, psychological, social, military and/or cultural view point, with few direct and explicit references linking the fabric of the city to how the war on the home front was conducted. This thesis fills the gap by signposting explicitly how cityscapes influenced the outcome of the Second World War. It also addresses a second gap in the historiography, the significant neglect of Glasgow’s wartime experience by providing a unique microscopic account of urban warfare from the vantage point of the cityscape.

This historical analysis borrows from the disciplines of urban studies and economics. A template has been created from four main elements that make up the fabric of the city: buildings, networks, open spaces and human capital (BNOSHC). These key themes when combined provide an original historiography.1 These elements provide a checklist used to extrapolate from primary and secondary sources BNOSHC data that is combined to provide a detailed account of the extent to which and ways in which cityscapes contribute in time of conflict. Five subject areas are scrutinised: passive defence, organised entertainment, education, medical services and the emergency services.

Each chapter begins with a chronological development of these subjects, focusing on their contribution to the war effort in the Great War. Glasgow is rich in archival sources relating to how the urban fabric of this conurbation was utilised in wartime. These sources are meticulously mined in order to provide a wide range of examples to support the thesis statement which is that the chronological development of the fabric of a city is utilised in time of war to the benefit of its citizens and thus contributes significantly to the national war effort. Examples from other British cities are included as an indication that they too, like Glasgow made extensive use of the cityscape in waging war and achieving decisive victory.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Glasgow Caledonian University
Supervisor	Ben Shepherd (Supervisor) & Elaine McFarland (Supervisor)