Recent theses

Major R.S. Billett has recently submitted a thesis entitled 'The Defences of Hobson's Bay and Port Phillip 1870-1901' for the degree of Master of Arts in the HPS Department at Melbourne University. Major Billett's thesis examines 'the reasons behind the withdrawal of the Imperial garrison from Victoria in 1870, and the development of the defences of the colony in the period 1870-1901'. These developments caused the importation of a large amount of naval and military technology into Victoria. In this thesis Billet considers the attitude that accompanied this transfer of technology as an impetus to the federation of the Australian colonies: 'During the 1880s the colonial military found that they were prevented from formulating plans for combined action in the event of a hostile incursion because of the constraints of their individual discipline acts. This was recognised by an Imperial officer, Major-general Sir J. Bevan Edwards during his inspection tour in 1889. His recommendations were used by Sir Henry Parkes to rekindle the federation debate'.

- Quotations are from the abstract to Major Billet's thesis.

HASN welcomes reports of recently completed theses
relating to the history of Australian science

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