Margaret Hall

A great wave of fundraising ‘patriotic’ associations followed in the wake of Great Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 4 August 1914, at home but also right across the empire. The most successful public campaign of all was launched in London at the beginning of 1915. Known as the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla, the scheme aimed to attract contributions towards aircraft production costs from throughout the British Empire. Any country, locality, or community that provided sufficient funds for an entire ‘aeroplane’ could have it named after them. It was promised that when the machine crashed or was shot down, the name would be transferred to a new one of the same type. Margaret Hall examines the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla as a facet of imperial history. She analyzes the fundraising efforts in Canada and Newfoundland; the Zanzibar Protectorate; Fiji, Mauritius, and the Caribbean; Hong Kong; the Malay states and Straits Settlements; West Africa, especially Gold Coast; Southern Rhodesia; Basutoland; Swaziland and the Union of South Africa; the Indian empire and Burma; (British subjects in) independent Abyssinia and Siam; in the Shanghai International Settlement, and the British community of Argentina; Australia; and New Zealand. This remarkable and detailed book discusses the propaganda and counter-subversion usages of the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla—and what the support for the imperial war effort reveals about contemporary national and regional identities and aspirations.

Margaret Hall studied Anthropology at London University and Area studies at SOAS University of London. Publication on Mozambique's history since its independence.

“Margaret Hall here reveals the remarkable story of the Imperial Aircraft Flotilla. The range of sources used by Hall is extensive and her capacity to understand an extraordinary range of imperial contexts, ethnicities, and individuals is remarkable. The book adds a whole new facet to a full understanding of the British war effort.”—Prof. John M. MacKenzie, University of Lancaster

“Margaret Hall has done a magnificent job. […] Relevant photographs of machines and personalities are scattered throughout the book and there are also reproductions of come contemporary publicity material. The end result is a very worthwhile volume with just about everything on the subject included.” — Cross & Cockade International, Vol. 49/1, Spring 2018

„This book is well researched, encapsulating the varying colonial experiences and has an impressive bibliography.” —NZ Legacy, 2018, Vol. 30, No. 1

“[A] fascinating book, throwing light on forgotten aspects of imperial history.”–Asian Affairs, November 2018