The evacuation and the launch of New Phineas
During the Second World War (1939–1945), London was badly bombed and part of UCL’s campus was destroyed. Subsequently, the number of UCL students declined by half, many of whom were in the armed forces. The rest of UCL’s students were urgently evacuated, mainly to different parts of England and Wales. Colleges in other areas, including Cambridge, Oxford, Swansea, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Leatherhead and Cardiffstarted to receive UCL students in exile and provide spaces for them to recover from their interrupted studies. Of these, Aberystwyth, one of the core receiving colleges, housed the largest UCL student body.
from The World of UCL, p. 202
Considering the scattering of the UCL student body, a new UCL Magazine, New Phineas, was launched, with the purpose of connecting UCL students dispersed in distinct areas. It also shared updated information and news of UCL student bodies accommodated in different colleges to maintain regular contact. Each issue of New Phineas was to be the vital link between those forces of college life that had been isolated by war.
Challenges and difficulties encountered during the evacuation
The evacuation lasted around four years. With it came a multitude of challenges and hardships which New Phineas reflected in several ways. Nearly every faculty was suffering through understaffing. Curricula had been reduced to a minimum and research facilities were severely curtailed. Buildings had been commandeered resulting in a severe shortage of accommodation, and examination standards lowered. The difficulties were not only regarding the scarce resources and materials. Many students were experiencing financial challenges to afford their tuition fees and living costs. In response to the urgent appeal, male students sacrificed their university education to join the military (and were later conscripted), and women devoted a great deal of time to domestic and logistical work.
In addition, turmoil and panic were experienced by students psychologically and emotionally. In the Autumn 1940 issue of New Phineas:two poems were written by individual UCL students expressing thoughts and feelings about what was happening around them. As shown in Fig.3, the air raids brought mess, the bombs, the gunshots, and most importantly fear.
The second poem illustrates how a UCL student perceived the huge transformation of the college before and during the war, containing the memories of past scenarios as well as the hope for the reconstruction of the campus in the future. It was not only about damages and dread, it was also commemorating the past university community and life, and those who had died in the war, might be families, might be friends.
“Secure in our tradition, wherever we may be,” as shown in Fig.4, was an expectation as well as a belief proposed by the individual student who perhaps represented several other UCL students. However, as a result of the scattered community and the loss of campus space, a recurring problem was the loss of university tradition and spirit, with loneliness being a side effect. That was a significant issue raised frequently by students in New Phineas. Universities were unable to escape the destiny of being dragged into the war machine. The complexity and chaos caused by war constantly affected and challenged UCL students, UCL itself, and wider society.
Unity in challenge: activities and societies still ongoing
Despite the challenges at this tough time, UCL students in various receiving colleges continued to organise activities and operate UCL student societies. One of the most important sections in New Phineas is ‘College News’ (see Fig.5). It reports recent activities held by UCL students in distinct areas and societies.
Among those colleges, UCL students who were distributed to Aberystwyth represented the most active cohort, regularly hosting various events and activities, such as the Foundation Week event, the joint Athletic Sports, the Freshers’ Tea event, UCL general meetings, social events, and so on. Notably, (Fig.6) UCL students were active in sports and also won some awards in matches. At other receiving colleges, rugger, soccer, boxing, table tennis, and squash teams were organised as well.
Meanwhile, the Women’s Union Society (WUS) played a particularly active role during this period. It was also acting on concerns about the loss of tradition, one of which was the holding of the first College Reunion in 1943. The review posted by WUS stated that this event was ‘a magnificent proof that the spirit of U.C. is still alive and that present students in isolated centres, just as much as those who have now left, feel loyalty to our common ‘alma mater’.’” In addition to that, the president of the WUS gave talks on the history and traditions of UCL.
For Aberystwyth students and UCL students at Aberystwyth, they also expressed their desire to preserve the traditions of their respective colleges, while working together in a friendly and collaborative way. The underlying purpose behind these activities and societies was to keep UCL students feeling together in wartime, while also demonstrating the resilience and spirit of UCL students amidst adversity.
Shifting roles between men and women
In wartime, male students were disappearing one by one from their colleges because they had to serve their country. Consequently, shifting gender relations appeared due to men being in service. Women students began to take a greater lead in student activities. In the past, men had shouldered the partial burden of initiative and responsibility that were supposed to lie in the hands of women. With the calling up of even younger age groups of males for military service, more women students needed to play a leading part in student life. This perhaps accounts for the activation of WUS during this period.
Reflections
To conclude, UCL students endured a tough and challenging time during the evacuation, facing scarce resources, financial burdens, psychological and emotional turbulence. In spite of this, UCL students still organised diverse activities and ran societies and tried to bind dispersed UCL students together in a more spiritual way. Although much suffering lay ahead, everyone believed that one day in the future they could once again embark on their college life in London.
Further Reading