The diaries of paymaster John Cecil Baker : the British mediterranean fleet, c. 1894-1901

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to take a micro-historical approach in order to provide new insights into officer life in the British Mediterranean Fleet in the last decade of the nineteenth century. In order to do so, research was primarily conducted on the diaries and photo album of Paymaster John Cecil Baker (1876-1958), which are located in the archives of the Malta Maritime Museum, Vittoriosa. From naval duties to leisure, this dissertation will use the diaries and photo album of John Cecil Baker to build a microhistory of the British Mediterranean Fleet during a decade of hesitant peace and of Great Power interactions. The diaries will also be used to provide some first-hand insights into the macro-historical context that the British Mediterranean Fleet in the 1890s was operating in. The first chapter of this dissertation will deal with the school of microhistory as an approach in historiography, as well as provide the historical backdrop to the British position in the Mediterranean by 1890 and discuss the historiography on the subject. The second chapter will focus on the activities of the Mediterranean Fleet during this decade, as well as highlight the role of Malta as a naval base and provide some information on technological aspects related to the Fleet. Finally, the third chapter will provide a social history of the Mediterranean Fleet during peace-time operations, from duties whilst at the sea to leisure whilst at port. This chapter will also provide a history of the Paymaster branch as well as highlight the duties of personnel serving within the branch as seen through the diaries of John Cecil Baker.