Those decisions reflect my ability to be the “Master of my life” rather than to be mastered by life (thank you, Maitreya!). The opposite is true when we make attributions regarding the success or failure of others! Sometimes I hated the orders I was given but understood the necessity of following them. It has been a humbling and wonderful experience and I am very glad I broke Tennyson’s stereotype and did strive to ‘reason why’.Hi, I just came across this and see your point in terms of someone going through a personal crisis such as a sudden loss, but in a broader context, such as a Military setting and especially now during a global pandemic I assert that this “cliche” is quite appropriate. It has helped me build the academic repertoire of skills to feel confident to pursue a Doctorate. I was able to analyse my understanding and experience of war alongside my own research interests in a safe and academically challenging environment and I believe I, my fellow students and professors have reaped the benefit. The MA War, Culture and Society allowed me to mobilise my military experiences ‘and sent it into battle’. This created a lovely communal feel to the course and initiated permanent friendships. The course also brought the postgraduate students across the History Department together in our Research Methods module.
One day I could be discussing with my fellow postgraduate students the meaning of conflict, and the anthropological relationship with war, the next day I might be discussing psychological theories of trauma, debating the Anglo-centric dominant image of the First World War in literature or discussions on war and gender. Initially I contacted Professor Lucy Noakes regarding the MA History and it was Lucy that drew my attention to the MA War, Culture and Society and how fortunate! The course has been wonderfully challenging with a diverse range of modules, that would suit many research interests. I wanted a break from military life and to fully immerse myself in a diverse, lively and opportunity laden environment Essex certainly provided that.
#Ours is not to reason why full#
Having completed a BA (Hons) via distance learning I wanted to continue my education and study a MA full time. Fascinated with history ever since I was a little girl and on reaching a zenith in my military career, I wanted to truly study history and formalise this long-held passion.
My father was in the Royal Air Force and my Grandad the Royal Navy thus, I completed the triad by joining the British Army. Whilst Tennyson writes that a soldier ‘is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die’, I found myself striving to reason and analyse my military experience. My name is Ashleigh and I am a 31-year-old mother of one, occupying a unique position of being a soldier-historian.
Yet as a soldier and as a medic for almost 12 years, having experienced combat zones and humanitarian missions, my obsession with understanding the complex phenomenon of war has not abated.
#Ours is not to reason why series#
Books, plays and TV series reimagines the human sacrifice in a chaotic world engulfed by war and is still popular with audiences today. More has been written about the First World War than any other conflict, recent films like 1917 and The Battle for Midway proved extremely popular. First written by Ashleigh Percival Borley for the Histoy at Essex blog.Īlfred Lord Tennyson’s poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ personifies the humble British soldier marching (or riding) to war unquestionably, whilst their superiors miscommunicate key orders and tactical doctrine of the time is ignored.