[John Simkin]

In her excellent seminar on extra-curricular activities Nichola Boughey describes the success of her Criminal History Master Class.

http://www.schoolhis...?showtopic=1471

It is interesting to speculate why students are so interested in this subject. I suspect the blood and gore aspect of the subject is part of the reason. I have yet to meet a student who is not interested in hearing about people being hung, drawn and quartered. Public executions is another topic that fascinates them. I think they also like the mystery side of it. Take the Jack the Ripper case which is always popular with students. The blood and gore is part of it but more important than that is the fact we do not know who the murderer was. I think one of the reasons why mysteries are important is that it gives the student the opportunity to play a more active role in the learning process. I have found that students, especially bright ones, are less interested in answering questions when the teacher already has the answer. They find it more stimulating to come up with their own answer (or theory). I have always tried to make use of this interpretation of human behaviour in my teaching. Wherever possible I have included topics that have a “mysterious” element to them.

It can be based on a single question. For example, explain the statement made by Anne Boleyn just before she was executed.

“Good Christian people... according to the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it... I pray God save the King, and send him long to reign over you... for to me he was always a good, a gentle, and sovereign Lord.”

Another example is to explain the following extract from William Camden, The History of Queen Elizabeth (1617)

“Stubbs and Page had their right hands cut off with a cleaver, driven through the wrist by the force of a mallet, upon a scaffold in the market-place at Westminster... I remember that Stubbs, after his right hand was cut off, took off his hat with his left, and said with a loud voice, "God Save the Queen"; the crowd standing about was deeply silent: either out of horror at this new punishment; or else out of sadness.”

Mysteries which involve students developing different theories are even better. For example, the assassination of John F. Kennedy or the murders of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.

Another good one concerns Rudolf Hess. An excellent book has just been published on the case (The Hitler/Hess Deception). The historian Martin Allen appears to have solved the mystery by getting hold of the private papers of Karl and Albrecht Haushofer. The father and son partnership were foreign policy advisers to Hitler and Hess. Albrecht was murdered in 1945 and Karl officially committed suicide soon afterwards. Karl died soon after (or while) being visited by two MI6 agents. They were looking for their private papers but they had already been passed on to Heinz Haushofer who managed to hide them from MI6.

The papers show that during the summer of 1940 the British government was involved in negotiating a peace deal with Hitler. The terms offered by Hitler were truly generous. It included withdrawing from Western Europe. In return Germany would be free to invade the Soviet Union. The amazing thing is that Churchill was unwilling to accept the terms of the deal. He argued that after defeating the Soviet Union, Germany would once again return to Western Europe.

However, Churchill desperately wanted Germany to invade the Soviet Union. He feared that if not, Hitler would concentrate on getting control of Britain’s oil supplies in the Middle East. This would have brought our defeat. Churchill therefore attempted to fool Hitler by getting three well-known appeasers, Samuel Hoare, Lord Halifax and the Duke of Hamilton to do the negotiations. Albrecht Haushofer and Rudolf Hess were negotiating for Germany. For obvious reasons, only a small number of people knew about these negotiations.

Hitler became convinced that Churchill was going to do a deal and he began making preparations for the invasion. However, Churchill had ordered his negotiators to keep the talks going for as long as possible. Hess came under increasing pressure from Hitler to finalise a deal and on 10th May, 1941, he took the decision to fly to Scotland to have a final meeting with the Duke of Hamilton.

In June Hitler launched the invasion of the Soviet Union. He knew he could not leave it any later because he needed time for the German Army to take control of the country before the harsh Soviet winter set in. It was Churchill’s masterstroke but it was decided that it would have to remain a secret. This helps to explain why Hess was never released and why the Haushofers had to die.

When I get the time I will use this material to carry out an investigation into the Hess case on my website.

[Andrew Field]

Very interesting indeed.

Pupil (and teacher ) interest in mysteries is simply due to the basic historical understanding that real history begins when the facts end. When things are open to interpretation then the enjoyment is all the greater.

[Lesley Ann]

Just had my teaching history online and have been reading this site for the last hour mysteries

A website devoted to solving mysteries. Several of the sections should interest historians, including Mysteries of Intelligence (JFK Assassination, Wallis Simpson, Vera Arkins, Selwyn Jepson, Marcus Garvey and the Sword of Islam), Mysteries of History (Turin Shroud), Knights Templer, King Arthur, Atlas of Ancient Egypt and Voynich Manuscript), Mysteries of Warfare (Flight of Rudolf Hess, Katyn Forest Massacre and Frontline 1940-41).

Thanks John

I think I might adapt this info to create some mystery activities in the classroom.