Cambridge History The Makings of Modern Cambridge

The fight for degrees for women

The first college for women began in 1869 when Emily Davies rented a house in Hitchin and named it the College for Women. However, by 1872 this house was too small and the fledgling college was forced to move. So, in 1873 the college moved to an area of Cambridge called Girton and established themselves as Girton College. The idea was that the women would be prepared for university examinations.

But the women did not attend lectures with the male students. Instead, lecturers came to them. In the mornings they would be educated by resident female lecturers, and in the afternoons male lecturers from the University would come and teach the women. Despite 22 of the 34 university lecturers being prepared to teach the women, they were initially not allowed to take the university exams. This changed in 1881 when they were first allowed to take the Tripos Examination, as long as they did it privately and not as members of the University. But, even though they were now allowed to take the exam, they could still not receive a Cambridge University Degree.

As the nineteenth century came to an end a campaign for women to receive degrees began to reach its head. There were proposals to Cambridge University on the matter in 1888 and 1896/7. As the second proposal was being debated in the Senate House a huge crowd gathered outside to protest. Thousands of men gathered on King’s Parade to protest against tradition being broken. At the University Bookshop just opposite the Senate House (the oldest bookshop in Britain today) protestors hung up an effigy of a woman riding a bicycle – apparently riding a bicycle was a very unwomanly thing to do.

The vote was defeated on both occasions. In fact, it would take another fifty years and two world wars before women eventually were able to get a Cambridge Degree.

Cambridge during the World Wars

But the campaign for Womens’ Rights was put on hold by the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Like everywhere else in Europe, life changed dramatically for the people of Cambridge.

Cambridge University at the time was an institution consisting almost entirely of young men. Young men who went off to fight in the trenches. This left very few students left studying at the university; often just those medically unfit to fight or wounded ex-servicemen who returned to their studies after being invalided out.

Inevitably Cambridge University lost hundreds of men throughout the war. For example, the Nott brothers who studied at Emmanual College. Thomas, Louis and Henry Nott came to Emmanuel College in 1907, 1912 and 1913 respectively. All three brothers joined the British Army during the war. Henry, the youngest, died first when he was killed on 27th April 1916 by a shrapnel shell. Both Thomas and Louis were killed one year later on 18th April 1917 by a booby-trap in a disused German dug-out abandoned during the withdrawal of German troops. Only Thomas had ever graduated from University.

The Nott Brothers were just 3 of 131 students from Emmanuel College alone who died during the First World War. As a consequence of so many students left fighting abroad, most colleges now house war memorials to remember those who were lost.

During the Second World War, Cambridge University was not depopulated to anywhere near the same extent. This was because recruitment of students to the armed forces was strictly controlled by the military this time round. Arts students could study for a year before joining the forces, whilst scientists and engineers could receive their degrees after just two years of study and then join the war effort where their qualifications could be put to use. Furthermore, the student intake to the university also included large numbers of ‘Short Course’ cadets. These were men who were already in the forces but came to take specifically designed RAF, Navy and Royal Engineers courses. Many of these cadets in fact returned to the university after the war had finished to continue their studies and gain degrees.

Furthermore, Cambridge became a hub for servicemen, particularly American Air Force men. This was because East Anglia became filled with air bases during the war as the flatness of the fens made it the perfect location for air fields. Once the United States joined the war many of these air bases were occupied by American pilots and their crews. During their free time these men enjoyed experiencing the local sites, such as the beautiful city of Cambridge.

A favourite haunt for servicemen to unwind was the Eagle Pub. It was frequented so regularly that the back room became known as the RAF bar. Inscribed on the walls and ceilings are the names of British and American airmen who visited at this time.

Fortunately, during the war, Cambridge did not receive much bombing. There is a strange rumour that Hitler was actually a massive fan of Cambridge University and had a picture of King’s College Chapel in his office. However, this story is unfortunately not true. The real reason Cambridge did not receive much bombing is believed to be that the German Air Force refrained from bombing Cambridge in the belief that it would stop the RAF bombing Heidelberg. Plus, there were no strategic military targets in Cambridge.

But it is not true that Cambridge was not bombed at all during the war. In July 1942 a bombing raid damaged several buildings on Bridge Street and Sidney Street as well as destroying the east window of the Round Church. However, the university buildings survived the war with negligible damage. Nevertheless, the stained glass windows from King’s Chapel were moved to a safe location just in case.

A Modern City of Science

As the war drew to a close and life slowly returned to normal, Cambridge once more became the centre of scientific discoveries that have created the world we know today. For example, on the 28th February 1953 Watson and Crick published the Double Helix of DNA.

It is often wrongly claimed that Watson and Crick ‘discovered’ DNA whilst at the pub. However, the discovery of DNA dates back way further than 1953. It was back in 1866 that the ‘Father of Genetics’, Gregor Mendel, realised genetics are passed down through generations. Then a few years later, in 1869, Friedrich Meischer, isolated what was later known as DNA.

But in 1953, Watson and Crick barged into the Eagle Pub, where they ate dinner 6 days a week, and announced “we have discovered the secret of life”. What they had discovered was the double helix structure of DNA. Something crucial to our current understanding of DNA and which has had a huge impact on modern science.

It is only fitting, therefore, that a huge part of Cambridge’s wealth comes from its contributions to science and technology. So much so that its surrounding area is commonly referred to as Silicon Fen because of the large number of high-tech businesses which call the region home.

And so, Cambridge’s intellectual prowess attracts visitors from all over the world to study, work or simply visit its incredible sites. 800 years ago the town Cambridge had developed into an internationally renowned centre of trade. Combined with the might of the University it has developed into the city it is today. A city which seamlessly mixes the old fashioned with the modern and is respected around the world.