Benjamin Oldcorn
Project Summary
Utilising the archive of Cable and Wireless held at Porthcurno, I am examining the strategic and tactical role of the Company during the Second World War. Broadly, the project is looking at the use of communications during wartime, and the relationship between the Government and the Company. The material in the Porthcurno and National archives, along with oral histories, will be used to form discrete vignettes that examine the different roles that Cable and Wireless undertook during the war - from the censorship of telegrams to the assistance of the intelligence services. These vignettes will then be informed by the broader geopolitical narratives of the Second World War.
Supervisory Team
I am supervised by Catherine Leyshon (nee Brace) and Nicola Thomas.
Wider Research Interests
I am, and have always been interested in the Second World War. These interests range from the built remains that litter the landscape and the resulting heritage debate, to the oral histories of people that remember the war. For me, it is a fascinating period because of these oral histories - it is one of the few periods from history that one can interrogate in person.
