William Carr (1 April 1921 – 20 June 1991) was a British historian of Germany.Ian Kershaw, 'Obituary: William Carr (1921–1991)', ''German History'', Volume 9, Issue 3, 1 July 1991, pp. 327-329. He was born in Workington,

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

. He studied history at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

, where he was awarded a prize for European history, but halted his studies after Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union. Carr volunteered and served in the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

and

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. After victory, he worked as an interpreter of German internees before joining the Field Security Police. Carr returned to Birmingham University in 1947, where he was awarded a first class degree in 1948. Carr was appointed lecturer in history at the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

in 1952, then senior lecturer (1963), reader (1970) and then to a personal chair (1979). He retired in 1986. A few days before his death, Carr learnt that the German government had awarded him the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

Works

*''Schleswig-Holstein 1815-1848. A Study in National Conflict'' (Manchester University Press, 1963). *''The History of Germany, 1815-1945'' (Edward Arnold, 1969; 2nd edn. 1979; 3rd edn. 1987; 4th edn. 1991). *''Arms, Autarky, and Aggression'' (Edward Arnold, 1970). *''Hitler: A Study in Personality and Politics'' (Edward Arnold, 1978). *''Poland to Pearl Harbor'' (Edward Arnold, 1985). *''The Origins of the Wars of German Unification'' (Longman, 1991).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, William 1921 births 1991 deaths Historians of Germany Alumni of the University of Birmingham Academics of the University of Sheffield Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany British Army personnel of World War II Royal Corps of Signals soldiers Royal Artillery personnel Royal Military Police soldiers Military personnel from Cumberland