John Springhall, who has died aged 71, was a pioneer in the field of youth studies who also wrote widely on imperialism, decolonisation and British and US popular culture.
He was born in Richmond, Surrey, to Onslow, a compositor, and Iris (nee Bradford), who worked in her family’s butcher’s shop in Battersea, south-west London, and enjoyed his education at Shene grammar school for boys. At the University of Sussex he was the first student to take a first in history and completed his PhD in 1968. He cited AJP Taylor’s television lectures, Asa Briggs, EP Thompson and Raphael Samuel as important influences on his intellectual development.
John worked for the Greater London council’s Blue Plaque scheme and Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University) before joining the New University of Ulster at Coleraine (now Ulster University at Coleraine) in 1970, where he remained for the rest of his career. He published six books and retired as a reader in 2004.
John’s first book, Youth, Empire and Society: British Youth Movements 1883-1940 (1977), developed his doctoral thesis and led to his appointment as co-ordinating editor of the centenary history of the Boys’ Brigade. The result, Sure and Steadfast: A History of the Boys’ Brigade 1883 to 1983 (1983), was described by one reviewer as a “proper and readable centenary celebration … a significant contribution to social, indeed to imperial history”.
In the 1980s and 90s John continued to explore youth and popular culture through Coming of Age: Adolescence in Britain, 1860-1960 (1986) and Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics: Penny Gaffs to Gangsta-Rap 1830-1996 (1998). John also wrote on the legacies of empire, authoring Decolonization Since 1945 (2001) for the series that he edited with his colleague Tom Fraser, Studies in Contemporary History.
On retiring, John remained in Northern Ireland. He indulged his passions for jazz and for American films, and pursued an active social life with regular trips to visit friends and family in England.
He found time for a final book that reflected his cultural interests, The Genesis of Mass Culture: Show Business Live in America 1840-1940 (2008) and for frequent articles for popular publications, such as the Historical Association’s magazine, Historian. He was a highly respected scholar who had a particular skill for bringing serious history to wide audiences through an approachable style.
John is survived by his mother and his brother, Christopher.
