AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award with the University of Exeter and
BT Archives: Beaming the British Empire: the Imperial Wireless Chain, circa
1900-1940 Ref: 2583

About the award
Applications are invited for an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award
with the University of Exeter and BT Archives to research and study the
origins, development and impact of the Imperial Wireless Chain, the global
network of shortwave radio stations that reputedly played a critical role
in British colonial integrity from the 1920s to the 1940s.

This project focuses on one of the most extraordinary milestones in the
history of global telecommunications and represents an exciting opportunity
for students with backgrounds in the history of science, technology, and
modern British and imperial history.  First conceived by Guglielmo Marconi
in 1906 to use long-wave transmitters, the Imperial Wireless Chain (IWC)
was postponed following a political scandal and the outbreak of the First
World War.    In the early 1920s, and at some financial risk, the Marconi
Wireless Telegraph Company developed its innovative ‘beam’ short-wave
system and this was eventually adopted by the British government for the
IWC.  The first pair of ‘beam’ stations opened in Britain and Canada in
1927 and within a few years similar stations followed in Australia, India,
New Zealand, South Africa and South America.  It soon became one of the
most widely used forms of long distance communication in the British empire
and posed such a threat to the ageing submarine cable business that had
constituted the ‘nervous system’ of the British empire that the British
government was eventually forced to amalgamate the newer and older forms of
telegraphy into one of the largest telecommunication firms of the 1930s:
Cable and Wireless.  Despite its importance, the history of the Imperial
Wireless Chain has not been the subjects of systematic scholarly study.

The overall aim of the project is to plug this significant gap in the
secondary literature, but there is much scope within this project for the
post holder to develop their own research questions.  Among the areas that
might be explored are: the role of the IWC in fostering or obstructing
technical developments in wireless and radio, including those not
associated with Marconi and his business; how IWC stations around the globe
were constructed and operated; the role of the IWC in encouraging the
emergence of local cultures of professional and amateur wireless activity;
differences in perceptions of the IWC in different British colonies and
dominions; the conflicts between and alignments of the diverse interests
involved in the scheme, including the commercial, political, legal,
scientific and technological; the successes and failures of the IWC as an
instrument of British imperial and colonial integrity.  All these questions
will be underpinned by a critical knowledge of historical and sociological
interpretations of technology and a critical perspective on the IWC that
questions the extent to which the scheme as a whole, and Marconi’s
specific proposals for it, were necessarily seen as improvements on
existing systems of global communication.

The most important relevant collections of research materials are at BT
Archives (London), Porthcurno Telegraph Museum (Cornwall), the Bodleian
Library (Oxford), the British Library (London) and the Institution of
Engineering and Technology (London).

The project offers exciting opportunities for students considering careers
in the archives and museums sectors.  The successful applicant will be
spending a considerable amount of time in BT Archives where they will be
studying some of the collection’s underexplored and uncatalogued
materials and gaining experience of professional archive management and
public engagement activities associated with BT Archives and the Science
Museum.  They will also be expected to present aspects of their research in
workshops, seminars and conferences organised by the University of Exeter,
BT Archives and the Science Museum.  Since much of the research for this
project will take place in London it is not necessary for the post holder
to live in or near Exeter.

The thesis supervisors are Dr Richard Noakes and Professor Richard Toye
(University of Exeter) and Mr. David Hay (BT Archives, London).  The
successful applicant will also receive support from Ms. Bergit Arends and
Dr. Alison Hess at the Science Museum.

Summary
Application deadline:   3rd April 2017
Number of awards:       1
Value:  £14,553 per year plus UK/EU tuition fees for eligible students
Duration of award:      per year
Contact: Postgraduate Administrator 01392 725306        humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk

How to apply
We invite applications from candidates with a strong academic background in
geography, modern history, the history of science or other relevant
discipline. Successful applicants should normally have a good first degree
(at least 2.1, or international equivalent) and have obtained, or are
currently working towards a Masters degree at Merit level, or international
equivalent that satisfies the AHRC's eligibility requirements for advanced
research training. If English is not a candidate’s native language, he or
she will also need to satisfy the English language entry requirements of
the University of Exeter.

Please note that the award is subject to the AHRC’s terms, to which
applicants should refer before applying (see the Research Funding Guide at
the bottom of this page on the AHRC website. Note that overseas students
are not eligible for AHRC awards (except under specific circumstances) and
EU students need to assess whether they are eligible for fees and
maintenance or fees only. Details of current maintenance and fee rates can
be found on the ‘Current Research Awards’ page on the AHRC website

To apply
Applicants should complete an online web form and upload a full CV, a
sample of recent work (please upload this in the reserach proposal section
of the application form) and details of two referees and, if relevant,
proof of English language proficiency, by 3rd April 2017.
Applicants should ensure that the referees email their references in the
form of a letter to the Postgraduate Administrator at humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk
by 3rd April 2017. The responsibility for ensuring that references are
received by the deadline rests with the candidates. Referees must email
their references to us from their institutional email accounts (references
sent from personal/private email accounts will not be accepted unless in
the form of a scanned document on institutional headed paper and signed by
the referee).

It is anticipated that shortlisted candidates will be notified at the
beginning of April and that interviews will take place week commencing 24th
April at the Science Museum.

More information
If you have any queries or would like to discuss this opportunity before
applying, please contact Dr. Richard Noakes at r.j.noakes@exeter.ac.uk
If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact:
Postgraduate Administrator at: humanities-pgadmissions@exeter.ac.uk
College of Humanities Graduate School, University of Exeter
Queen's Building, The Queen's Drive
Exeter, Devon, EX4 4QH

Visit http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/ for more information.