Review

Author(s): Harvey Broadbent

Review by: Harvey Broadbent
Source: Journal of British Studies, Vol. 48, No. 2, Special Issue on Material Culture (Apr., 2009),
pp. 541-542
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of The North American Conference on
British Studies
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25483090
Accessed: 16-05-2015 00:51 UTC

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BOOK

REVIEWS

541

were
about how Anglicized
able to make
choices
they
backgrounds
them freedom
that said,
and pleasure.
and wealth
However,
brought
the stock of
in its judgment
balance
wonderful
also demonstrates
the book
that, overall,
we see evidence
From
the
mid-nineteenth
in Britain
declined.
South Asians
century
steadily
notions
of racial supremacy
South Asians;
of the sharp rise of "nativist
hostility"
against
not only popular
in British
these processes
embedded
but also deeply
became
society. And

well

as

working-class
to be. Status

wished

enormous
relations.
for future South Asian/British
implications
a
with the theme of identity formation.
key feature of the study is its engagement
Finally,
nature of identity construction
and connects
the multidimensional
It illuminates
the dynamic
as
in an envi
have
their identities
that
South
Asians
they (re)negotiate
pursued
strategies

had

that is far more

ronment
the Second

War.

World
have

South

Asians

ness"

to a more

played

inclusive,

Ansari,

Victor

taking

Royal

Rudenno.

Holloway,

on

books

of equal

and

respect

London:

Yale

dignity

Gallipoli:

the subject

of London

University

Attack

of the

the Sea.

from

University Press, 2008. Pp. 352. $45.00

New

that offers a measure

one

hybridizing

citizens.

for all British

Humayun

South Asians
encountered
before
plural than that which
a
this book
shows what
role
perspective,
long historical
a shift from a
in compelling
notion
of "British
largely exclusivist

culturally
By

1915

New

Haven,

and

CT,

(cloth).

Gallipoli

Campaign

to appear

continue

to

annually

feed theGallipoli industry.

Despite the riskof inducing further
Gallipoli indigestion,Victor
Rudenno's
on

tration
enhance
modern

account
at
of naval action
its particular
with
comprehensive
Gallipoli,
some
in
of
submarines
the role played
the
outcomes,
by
determining
out
As he points
the body of literature on the campaign.
(264),
being

amphibious

campaign

provided

landing
important

of

an

would be involved in theD-Day

on

army

lessons

and

in combined

terrain

enemy

for military

experience

strategists,

concen

can

only
the first

the
operations,
some of whom

landings in 1944 and some ofwhom are today'smilitary

The
national
of the combatants
and the manner
aspirations
planners.
even
failure also imbue the campaign
with
importance
today.
sources and original document
The book fuses accounts
from disparate

of

the campaign's
to achieve

research

an

rare achievement
in the traditions of good
in a non
intriguing narrative
storytelling?a
fiction book
that also serves as a good
reference book on the subject of naval and submarine
at Gallipoli,
with
its informative maps,
warfare
and appendices
in the form
tables, indexing,
some
of fact files on submarines,
antisubmarine
and supply. Despite
inaccuracies
warfare,
in his overview
[73],
naval

which

of the Gallipoli
errors or

contain

action.

of the Anzac
Cove
(such as the map
landings
the author
is on firm ground when
dealing with

land batties
misprints),

The

navies of Britain, France,

and the Ottoman
lead the story?not
Empire
was
as a naval affair to force the Dardanelles
the campaign
in
envisaged
and that only developed
into a full-scale military
attack and siege by land after

when

surprising
the first place

its failure. Naval

concerns

as underwater

outset

marvels

therefore

take center stage from the

remain
and volatile
flawed
in operation,
they
to their deadly payloads
bowels
being described
of yet another
overload.
type of indigestion?detail

These
beloved
Boy's

calls

in his

reserves

are a series of naval

of narrative
characters

of early to mid-twentieth-century
Own
after a favorite comic
heroes

submarines

Yet

their inner workings

from
to the danger
in sordid detail,
leading
to close
However,
you are about
just when
Rudenno

and

dominate

of technology.
their mechanical

the book

gems.
in the tradition

and

take

relief

in your

of old-fashioned

boy readers. Australians

book of that name. Early

and

chosen

adventure
Britons

in the book

way

heroes,
call them

the story of

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542

BOOK REVIEWS

Lieutenant

Holbrook,

commander

of

submarine

sets the pattern.

Bll,

His

actions

in De

cember 1914 act as a prelude, both to the submarine action to follow in 1915 and to the
a
to
in combining
and action
character
action yarn. Bll
is old
good
spin
on
a breakfast of half a lobster, a
eats
Holbrook
submerging
gift from
a
before
minefield.
the
mine
cables
Here,
captains,
entering
mooring

of the book

way

and unreliable,

but

submarine

French
scrape

the

along

side of

before

and

Many

M.

E. Nasmith

U-boat

menace

Lieutenant-Commander
and

the German

their breath,

the bottom

several

Cross

award.

hitting
Victoria

the first submariner's

receiving
other devil-may-care
Holbrook-types

capture

War,

holds

everyone

submarine,

hit of the campaign

first torpedo

rise

and

times, narrowly

an admiral

to become

ace, Otto

in the Second

fame.
World
to sink

the first submariner

Hersing,

the

avoiding

to gain

in the narrative?some

follow

will

scores

then Bll

and

a warship in the FirstWorld War (the British ship, Pathfinder, on 5 September 1914 in
Scodand's Firth of Forth with the loss of 339 men), goes on to sink twomore British ships
at Gallipoli.
E.

C.

Others

Palmer,

who,

being

shot

as

escapes
submarine

naval

as a spy; Lieutenant-Commander

the

AE2,

of the E14,

Boyle

intelligence

to the Dardanelles,

British Vice-Consul

to British

officer

commander

de

Vice-Admiral

is appointed to submarine El5 only to be captured by the Turks and narrowly

Robeck

who

to the story: the prewar

add color

swims

subject
VC

another

ashore

encounters

of other

various

of

H.

of darkness

with

D.

the genre;

and Lieutenant

winner;

cover

under

books

G.

Stoker

the Australian

of

of Nasmith's

D'Oyly-Hughes
to
sabotage

Ell,

a railway viaduct

explosives

C.

E.

Lieutenant-Commander

and

in the process.

dangers

For studentsof theGallipoli Campaign the book clearlyoutiines the importantpart played
by the Turkish minefield and the double current of the straitas central problems for the
British

and French.

by Allied

Istanbul.

capital,
marine

But

and

Rudenno,

naval

"submarine

the book

however,

supplies"
submarine
threat

the stress, once

well with

appears

about

ambivalent

is breached

the minefield

in their defense

of the peninsula
the overall

and

influence

the

of sub

While
that the
Campaign.
stating accurately
never going
to be a deciding
factor in halting
the
land route, he effectively demonstrates
the alternative

the Gallipoli
during
was
in the Sea of Marmara

activity

force

enemy

deals

to the Ottomans

caused

submarines,

(215),
and

citing

in the Marmara

actions

as an

by the very

factor,

important

slowing

down of supply, in handicapping the Ottoman army from pushing the British and their
allies
The

back

the sea from whence

into

menace

cendency.

The

reduction

in the British

of

the most

back

to the

German

modern
seas

U-boat
naval
and

around

they came.
affected both

the waves

from below

and

danger

sides
caused

losses

of the conflict,

force after the first month

powerful
Britain.

their ability to gain the as

to the Allied
in a
fleet resulted

and

of all dreadnought-class
Such

reductions

affected

including

battleships,
the ability

awithdrawal
Elizabeth,

Queen

to assist

of the navy

the armieson land.Then we read vividlyhow Allied submarinesEll, Ell, and E2 successfully
make

nuisances

dramatically

how

of

themselves

E7,

E20,

and

as

they patrol

the French

the Sea
submarine

of Marmara
Turquoise

for targets
are

lost,

the

but

equally

latter being

to the Ottoman
and added
navy.
by the Ottomans
salvaged
us
serves
to
element of war. Another
is
often a potent
that
remind
This
compelling
irony
is certain,
and this book
leaves one
in war
is that nothing
is that the only certainty
aspect
were
to
with
the
hideous
deal
able
of
1915
these
submariners
the
uncertainty
way
admiring
tin can pursued
in a giant and volatile
of life underwater
enemy. Boys' Own
by a deadly
stuff indeed.

Harvey

Broadbent,

Macquarie

University,

Gallipoli

Centenary

Turkish

Archives

Project

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