Rum, Sodomy, Prayers, and the Lash Revisited: Winston Churchill and Social Reform in the Royal Navy, 1900-1915

'Naval tradition? Naval tradition? Monstrous. Nothing but rum, sodomy, prayers and the lash.' This quotation, from Winston Churchill, is frequently dismissed as apocryphal or a jest, but, interestingly, all four of the areas of naval life singled out in it were ones that were subject to major reform initiatives while Churchill was in charge of the Royal Navy between October 1911 and May 1915. During this period, not only were there major improvements in pay and conditions for sailors, but detailed consideration was also given to the future of the spirit ration; to the punishing and eradicating of homosexual practices; to the spiritual concerns of the fleet; and to the regime of corporal punishment that underpinned naval discipline for boy sailors. In short, under Churchill, the Royal Navy introduced a social reform programme perfectly encapsulated in this elegant quip. And, yet, not only has no one studied it; many people do not even know that such a programme even existed. This book rectifies that. It shows that Churchill was not just a major architect of welfare reform as President of the Board of Trade and as Home Secretary, but that he continued to push a radical social agenda while running the Navy.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1: Pay, Promotion, and Democratization 2: Rum 3: Sodomy 4: Prayers 5: The Lash Conclusion

About the Author :
Matthew S. Seligmann was born in London. He was educated at the universities of Edinburgh, Pennsylvania, and Sussex and has held posts at the University of Northampton and Brunel University London, where he is currently professor of naval history. An expert on the Anglo-German naval race and Anglo-German relations before and during the First World War, he has written numerous books and articles on this subject, as well as making radio and television appearances.

Review :
... in spite of the book's title, this is not a study unduly preoccupied with Churchill. It is, rather, an examination of social change and policymaking in which Churchill looms large, but without losing sight of the complex and dynamic relationship between the navy and society that preoccupied naval policymakers. Seligmann has made a valuable contribution to understanding Churchill and the Royal Navy in a troubled era, as Britain's last Liberal government enacted fiscal, political, and social reform at home, while contending with the growing international peril emanating from Germany's bid for world power. This book should appeal not only to historians, but to anyone interested in transforming large, complex organizations. Highly recommended! As with Seligmann's oeuvre on naval strategy before World War I, it is preoccupied with policymaking and policymakers. Yet, in examining how they handled social questions, the book provides an innovative approach to the social history of the Royal Navy in the modern era. This volume is an important contribution to the social history of the modern Royal Navy and a valuable study of a neglected aspect of Winston Churchill's career...Seligmann has raised the bar for other scholars of this field. This is an excellent book that substantially adds to our understanding of Churchill, the Royal Navy, and the sociocultural environment in which it operated. Seligmann's archival research is first-rate and reinforces his reputation as one of the leading scholars of the modern Admiralty. The book will be of interest to many constituencies, including social history, naval history, and the history of sexuality. A must-read book for any scholar working on Churchill. Seligmann has succeeded in developing a deeply impressive, systematic understanding of the surviving material. Having something genuinely new to say about Winston Churchill in 2018 is no small achievement, and Seligmann must be judged to have done so in a highly impressive and balanced manner.