Photos From the United Kingdom  [Click on thumbnail image to see the complete full-sized photo.]

Hi There: I am Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M University—Commerce, and this is a photo of me with one of the lion statues at Trafalger Square on my first day in London.  If you get your picture taken with one of these big cats, you will return to the city, or so legend says.  The photos that follow are some of the ones that I and others took while we were in Europe and should give you an idea of what the British studies program is like.

In the Park: On our first day in London, the instructors in the program conducted a number of walking tours of the city.  The idea behind these strolls was that the students needed something to do while their bodies adjusted to the new daylight hours.  Here we are near Parliament, and Andy Wiest, the instructor for the World War II course, is giving a little talk about some of the gorier aspects of British history.

		Statue Men: London, like many national capitols, is littered with statues of war heroes.  World War II is the subject of a number of monuments.  The picture in the upper left is of Marshall of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris.  The commanding officer of Bomber Command is not a well respected or admired man and this statue is often defaced.  His crews called him “Butch,” which was short for butcher, because of the high casualty rate in Bomber Command.  His decision to target and bomb German cities was highly controversial because it intentionally targeted non-combatant civilians.  The air war against Germany was the subject of a class lecturer.  The statue in the upper right is General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and is in front of the U.S. embassy.  The picture in lower right is of Field Marshall Viscount Alanbrooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff during the war.  In the summer of 1945, Field Marshall Sir Alan Brooke, which was his name at the time, was a key figure in pushing for a British role in the invasion of Japan.  This issue was the subject of my research while I was in the United Kingdom.  I was able to look at the diaries and papers of Viscount Alanbrooke, which are stored at King’s College, University of London; the school that hosted our stay in England.  When I am finished this research should result in an article that will be published in a scholarly journal.  Finally, in the lower left is a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States of America.  This statue is located in a park in front of the U.S. embassy.  In that park there is also a monument to all the Americans who flew in the Royal Air Force during the war.

PRO I: One of the requirements of every course in the British studies program is that it have a writing component.  In the history course, every student had to do a research paper, using material from the Public Record Office, which is know called the National Archives, to meet this directive.  The PRO is located in Kew, a residential section of London that is about a hour by train from where we were staying.  So, we all went there together as one big group.

PRO II: This is the Public Record Office or the National Archives as it is now known; the official document storage site of Her Majesty’s government.  The students ended up doing research on topics as diverse as the Battle of the Bulge and the relocation of London school children during the Blitz. For many of the students this project was difficult, since they had never done research in primary documents, but this depository is well organized and easy to use, which helped.

Imperial War Museum: The class took a number of trips as a group.  One was to this museum, which depicts those conflicts that have involved the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth since 1914.  As a result, there is a lot more to the place than just World War II.  You can expect to see exhibits that display films, photographs, diaries, letters, mementos, firearms, medals, badges, printed items, major works of art and audio recordings.  In the picture, Andy Wiest talks about the museum and the big gun that came from a Royal Navy battleship that is in the background.

Headquaters of a Crusade: General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and his Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force had their offices in this building.  Although many nations had military units that served under SHAEF, including Poland, Canada and France, this command was essential an Anglo-American organization. .

Cabinet War Rooms: Another trip the class took was to the underground headquarters of His Majesty’s government. Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and his cabinet worked and often lived in this bunker during the Battle of Britain, the German bombing of London, and the V-2 rocket attacks on the city in 1944.  The offices were sealed up when the war ended, and the visitor can still see the maps on the wall of the allied invasion and occupation of Germany.

In the Footsteps of Churchill: You even get to see the office and bedroom of the man who was the First Minister to the King.  I found it quite fascinating, since it gave the visitor a real feeling and understanding that these great historical figures were people just like the rest of us and suffered form the stress and strain during this conflict.

In France: The history course took a trip to Normandy and visited a number of battlefields associated with Operation: OVERLORD.  We had a number of people taking other classes join us.  Here we are standing in front of a gun house at Pointe du Hoc.  Note the pock marks on the building.  This damage came from allied bombing of the area prior to the invasion.

Pointe du Hoc: Many Americans died here to preserve democracy.  On June 6, 1944, U.S. Army Rangers scaled these cliffs to take German positions that could have fired on either of the American landing beaches. Omaha is on the other side of the heights in this picture. Half the Rangers that took this position died.  The Germans had removed the big guns that could have fired on the beaches, but still fought to retake the area.  The Rangers held out for two days before they were relieved.

Bunker: The Germans built this fortification at Pointe du Hoc.  It survived the war.  The full version of this photo gives the viewer a good idea of the size and scale of the structure.

Crater: The land at Pointe du Hoc still shows the scars of war.  A thin layer of grass now covers the ground, but there are still many, large bomb craters in the area, making it look like a moonscape.  Some depressions are over ten feet deep.  This picture was taken from the bottom of a large one.  When you are in one there is a stillness in the air that is a bit spooky.

Sainte-Mère-Église: This little French town (1990 population 1,564) occupied an important tactical position in 1944. On the night of June 5-6, American paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division were to land and seize control of an important crossroad in the town.  This action would isolate the Germans defending the beaches, cutting them off from their rear echelons.  The Americans were to land to the west of the town, but many ended up coming down in the middle of the town square. The paratroopers were vulnerable targets while they descended and the German defenders killed many of them before they hit the ground.  This battle took place where were standing in this picture.  In an episode made famous in the book and movie The Longest Day, the parachute of one soldier snagged on the church steeple as he came down.  He survived by playing dead as he hung in the air.  The church hangs a mannequin from the steeple which is visible in the background.

Tourist Time: One of the great things about the British studies program is that it gives the students, faculty, and administrators time to go and visit some of the neat sites in London.  Behind me is the Tower of London.  This fortress is over 900 years-old and is the current home of the crown jewels.  It is, needless to say, a sight you must-see when you are visiting.  Plan on spending at least half a day.

Spending Your Money: Before you go, I want to let you know about the shopping opportunities in London.  I bought this suite for the rough equivalent of U.S. $120.  I also got the socks and tie while I was in London.  While you can buy a number of neat things, you need to be careful.  The dollar is weak against the pound sterling, which means goods are more expensive for the American.  You can, however, find some good bargains when you are in England.  July is sale season.  Americans can also get refunds at the airport on the value added tax they paid at the time of purchase.  You should also use credit cards whenever possible.  The credit card companies get a better exchange rate than individuals.  Since, I am in a phone booth, I should add that international long distance in the United Kingdom is cheaper than the domestic rates back in the U.S.  Believe it or not, it is cheaper to call your distant family and friends while you are abroad than it is at home. Well, so long.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.