of the raw proximity of the war, the Academy decided that none of the year’s
nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel.
Accordingly, no award for Chemistry was made in 1918. However, even
though on this occasion Hammarsten had done his duty by the statutes, there
was a growing illogical movement towards Haber amongst committee
members and the whole episode resurfaced a year later when, in a bizarre but
shameful turn of events, the committee abandoned impartiality and its
responsibility to evaluate all the evidence, and without dissent, but with clear
political intent, proposed the Academy award a prize to Haber alone.
On 06 December 1918, almost immediately after the signing of the
Armistice, ignorant of events in Sweden but with far more pressing things on
his mind, Robert Le Rossignol and family fled Germany.
85
Notes
1. When war seemed imminent, some British people were able to leave the
country, but for the many travelling was difficult because of the huge
movement of troops. The Le Rossignol family would have found it difficult
to leave.
2. Henry Woodd Nevinson was a committed socialist and respected war journalist covering both the Boer War, the Great War and numerous conflicts
and disturbances between and after. His work was characterized by
eye-witness accounts, attention to detail and he was scrupulous in gathering
and conveying his facts. His work was widely appreciated and his writing
often inspired those striving for freedom. A Wikipedia appreciation of his life
is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Nevinson.
3. Founded in 1846, by Charles Dickens no less, as a radical alternative to the
right wing ‘Morning Chronicle’.
4. Adapted from H. W. Nevinson, Berlin, a-Tiptoe for War in August 1914—A
British Reporter in the Enemy Capital. Nevinson was the ‘Daily News’ War
Correspondent in the early days of the war. The complete article can be
found widely on the internet. One such occurrence is at http://outofbattle.
blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/4th-august-1914-british-reporter-in.html.
5. To Paris! To Petersburg!
6. My understanding of the treatment of British nationals in Germany at this
time is primarily due to the following texts which I have freely drawn upon
and recognise. The copyright remains with the authors; Mathew Stibbe,
British civilian internees in Germany. The Ruhleben camp, 1914–1918.
Manchester University Press, (2008). ISBN-978 07190 7085 3, and Joseph
Powell and Francis Gribble, The History of Ruhleben. A Record of British
Organization in a Prison Camp in Germany, W. Collins Sons and Company
Ltd., (1919). Digitised for Microsoft Corp. by the Internet Archive in 2007
310
D. Sheppard
nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel.
Accordingly, no award for Chemistry was made in 1918. However, even
though on this occasion Hammarsten had done his duty by the statutes, there
was a growing illogical movement towards Haber amongst committee
members and the whole episode resurfaced a year later when, in a bizarre but
shameful turn of events, the committee abandoned impartiality and its
responsibility to evaluate all the evidence, and without dissent, but with clear
political intent, proposed the Academy award a prize to Haber alone.
On 06 December 1918, almost immediately after the signing of the
Armistice, ignorant of events in Sweden but with far more pressing things on
his mind, Robert Le Rossignol and family fled Germany.
85
Notes
1. When war seemed imminent, some British people were able to leave the
country, but for the many travelling was difficult because of the huge
movement of troops. The Le Rossignol family would have found it difficult
to leave.
2. Henry Woodd Nevinson was a committed socialist and respected war journalist covering both the Boer War, the Great War and numerous conflicts
and disturbances between and after. His work was characterized by
eye-witness accounts, attention to detail and he was scrupulous in gathering
and conveying his facts. His work was widely appreciated and his writing
often inspired those striving for freedom. A Wikipedia appreciation of his life
is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Nevinson.
3. Founded in 1846, by Charles Dickens no less, as a radical alternative to the
right wing ‘Morning Chronicle’.
4. Adapted from H. W. Nevinson, Berlin, a-Tiptoe for War in August 1914—A
British Reporter in the Enemy Capital. Nevinson was the ‘Daily News’ War
Correspondent in the early days of the war. The complete article can be
found widely on the internet. One such occurrence is at http://outofbattle.
blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/4th-august-1914-british-reporter-in.html.
5. To Paris! To Petersburg!
6. My understanding of the treatment of British nationals in Germany at this
time is primarily due to the following texts which I have freely drawn upon
and recognise. The copyright remains with the authors; Mathew Stibbe,
British civilian internees in Germany. The Ruhleben camp, 1914–1918.
Manchester University Press, (2008). ISBN-978 07190 7085 3, and Joseph
Powell and Francis Gribble, The History of Ruhleben. A Record of British
Organization in a Prison Camp in Germany, W. Collins Sons and Company
Ltd., (1919). Digitised for Microsoft Corp. by the Internet Archive in 2007
310
D. Sheppard