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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

You can read more about RAF Gan and other lost places and space of British militarism in my forthcoming book. "Warrior Britain: A Nation in Arms", will be out in 2028 with Allen Lane. In the meantime, if you served in 'Coral Command' or stayed at the 'Blue Lagoon' do get in touch!

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

As with the Chagos islands, RAF Gan is a reminder that coloniser versus colonised is always too simple a framing. For some, Malé could seem as far away as London. Likewise, just as the British played one faction off against the other, local actors used the British for their own benefit.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Afeef, once declared the 'authoritative voice' of Gan by the British, was exiled to the Seychelles aboard HMS Loch Lomond in 1963. With the end of 'East of Suez' and building of Diego Garcia Gan was handed back to the Maldives Gov in 1976. Today, it is an international airport and luxury resort.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

With support for Afeef removed, Nadir cracked down on the Suvadive Republic. In 1961 he led a paramilitary expedition to Thinadhoo (another of the recalcitrant islands) and ordered its total depopulation. 4,000 people are estimated to have died. It has been described as 'ethnic cleansing'.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

In the end, Britain got its vital airbase. By the late 1960s 7,000 passengers transited through each month with warplanes for the Far East Air Force also serviced at Gan. Passengers stayed at the 'Blue Lagoon' hotel. Female visitors reportedly received special attention...

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The threat of recognition for Afeef helped to ensure Nadir backed down. In 1960, Addu Atoll was given as a 'free gift' for 30 years in exchange for £850,000 development aid and control of Maldives external political relations, i.e. no foreign bases.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Sensing an opportunity to improve its negotiating position with Malé, the British Government quietly backed Afeef. Then Secretary of the State for Commonwealth Relations, Alec Douglas-Home, described the Suvadive Republic as 'a good tactical card to have'.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Progressive local champion or British stooge (depending on your view of Maldivian politics) Afeef declared independence from the capital Malé. He announced a new United Suvadive Islands with its own flag etc. and sought immediate British recognition.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Demanding locals stop work on the base Nadir imposed tariffs and ordered an end to trade with the British. This caused riots in the Atoll and the takeover of government buildings. From the maelstrom came a new leader on the atoll, an ex-translator for the British, Abdullah Afeef.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Nasir demanded a shorter lease, increased aid, and greater economic freedom for the Maldives (at that stage a British protectorate). At the same time, in a post-Suez world, the British worried Nasir was dangerously pro-Egyptian. The base also exacerbated economic tensions within the Maldives.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Life, of course, was harder for the 820 local residents who were moved off the island. Indeed, this precipitated a political crisis. The PM who had approved British possession was ousted by his 30 year old Defence Minister, Ibrahim Nasir, who sought to renegotiate the deal.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Gan was chosen and work to rebuild and expand the airstrip began. Despite excellent fishing, life on 'Coral Command' was not easy. The heat, humidity, and malicious ants were relentless. Even the Air Ministry warned servicemen that the 'correct mental attitude' was needed to enjoy Gan.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

After the war the base was decommissioned. All this changed in 1957 with the rise of the Sri Lankan nationalist S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike who threatened (and succeeded) to close British bases in Ceylon. A new air route was thus required for the long journey to the Far East.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Part of the Addu Atoll at the southern tip of the Maldives, Gan island was part of a secret fall back anchorage for the Eastern Fleet. Port T, as it was known, played an important role in WWII. Admiral Somerville described is as 'Scapa Flow with palm trees'.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

With Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands back in the news, its a good time to reflect on a forgotten and arguably more contested British base in the Indian Ocean. RAF Gan.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

At the @britishlibrary.bsky.social for the first time in years. Can confirm little has changed - but the wifi does appear to be better!

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The Historical Journal @historicaljnl.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

📣Out now on #firstview! Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social and Richard Toye @richardtoye.bsky.social on 'The Management of British MPs’ Postbags and Politician-Voter Relations in the Democratic Age' #Politics #Letters #Communication 20thc 🗃️ 👉Read open access: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

This article explores the management of correspondence between British MPs and the public, examining how citizens have used letter-writing as a tool to seek assistance, advocate for policies, and express support or dissent. It highlights how MPs and their staff triaged correspondence, distinguishing between ‘authentic’ expressions of public concern and orchestrated lobbying. It also considers the strategies employed by letter-writers to maximize their impact, from carefully crafted appeals to emotional rhetoric, frequently made in the knowledge that intermediaries would process their communications. The increasing volume of correspondence, facilitated partly by technological advances, reflects the enduring perception of letter-writing as an effective means of political engagement. While much scholarly work has focused either on a quantitative analysis of letter numbers and outcomes or a qualitative analysis of the substance of letters on controversial issues, this article shifts the focus to the broader processes of correspondence management and voter-politician interactions. By analysing how MPs and their assistants assessed, prioritized, and responded to communications, we provide new insights into the evolving relationship between representatives and the public. We suggest that correspondence was a means through which voters demonstrated their authenticity to politicians - and not just the other way round.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

It should be out in 2028, in time for the anniversary of the conclusion of Britain’s H-Bomb tests which, perhaps ironically, helped to precipitate the end of this remarkable chapter in British history.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

It will argue that the UK after WWII was as much 'pre-war' as it was 'post-war' and act as a travelogue to a vanished Britain in which the armed forces suffused everyday life.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

I am over the moon to announce that I have just inked the deal with @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social Allen Lane for my next book, “Warrior Britain: A Nation in Arms, 1945-1960”. It will be a social, cultural, and environmental history of Cold War British militarism.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Oh good. And that quote from Marx is “chefs kiss”.

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David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I really enjoyed reviewing @kitkowol.bsky.social's "Blue Jerusalem" - an excellent new study of WW2-era British Conservatism, highlighting both its intellectual vitality and its practical political impact

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

So glad you enjoyed it David!

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Rory Johnston @roryjohnston.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

when you realize that the American unipolar global order was suppressing long-forgotten levels of public Frenchness

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Paid bit is less good so maybe that paywall isn’t such a bad idea!

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

That feeling when you have been reviewed in the @nyrb-imprints.bsky.social but don’t have access so can’t see what Ferdinand Mount wrote…

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

NAAFI apparently ran holiday camps for servicemen and their families between 1950 and 1980 - like an (even) more militarised version of bulletins I guess. Anyone here ever heard of stayed in one?

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Fascinating! Thanks so much for sharing. Yet another reason for loving New Zealand.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Had great fun writing this. How a spiritualist vegetarian who believed he had found the Holy Grail convinced Churchill and 5 million Brits to pray for peace and freedom during WWII. gethistory.co.uk/articles/20t...

gethistory.co.uk

The Silent Minute

What do you do when your army has retreated, your ally has capitulated, and you face invasion? You pray.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Thanks for coming along. Nice cords too!

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

I see that my book made it into @adamtooze.bsky.social “Chartbook”. If you like long discussions of the political ramifications of British wartime food policy it’s the book for you!

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Brexit ideology was shaped in the 1990s, when great power conflict was largely over, European security was no longer at issue & the US underpinned a global free-trading system. It was applied in a world more like the '70s, defined by great power conflict, resurgent protectionism & an unreliable US.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Thanks. Though it came as a surprise to read that I lamented the maintenance of the empire, church and monarchy!

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Fab! That’s one step closer to me buying a new safari suit. Hope you enjoy it!

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Knowing I was being reviewed in the @lrb.co.uk may have given me a few sleepless nights… So chuffed to see the book described as“absorbing and original”!

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

80 years ago a bus strike meant many people had to walk to central London for #VEDay. A potent marker of how Churchill had fought a Tory War but the peace would belong to Labour. Read more in my book: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

global.oup.com

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

And Welsh history I assume?

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

I think I might have found the world’s best Wikipedia article. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_h...

en.m.wikipedia.org

Guide horse - Wikipedia

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Paula Surridge @psurridge.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Maybe we're asking the wrong questions about gender part #3578

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

There’s a joke to be made here about decolonisation and lynx Africa but for the life of me I can’t work it out.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Up the stakes and suggest you will get a 90s cellphone belt clip as an alternative.

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David Blagden @blagdendavid.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

The indefatigable Patrick Porter and I have a piece in The Critic on flaws in the Chagos deal, progressive realism, and how a superior version of the latter - that could yet dodge the pitfalls of the former - is still there for the taking. thecritic.co.uk/has-the-chag...

thecritic.co.uk

Has the Chagos Islands deal killed progressive realism? | David Blagden and Patrick Porter | The Critic Magazine

Whatever happened to progressive realism? As you may recall, that was the foreign policy doctrine declared by the incoming Labour government’s foreign secretary, David Lammy. The short answer is that…

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Online would be amazing! I’m researching British conservative ideas of Australia since the war.

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Does anyone know if it is possible to look at back issues of the now defunct “Right Now!” magazine - @evansmithhist.bsky.social I wonder?

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Kit Kowol @kitkowol.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Oh I don’t disagree in that it wasn’t particularly effective but it wasn’t out of the Tory mainstream at the time or imho all that surprising in the context of what Labour was doing at the time (and more importantly) what they feared they might go on to do…

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