This paper explores the way in which political ends have influenced the construction of Gibraltarian identity in post-1945 Gibraltar. It will examine how the construction of a Gibraltarian identity by Gibraltar-born (and some non-Gibraltarian) scholars has played a crucial role in the development of, and has been influenced by, political agendas on the Rock. It argues that class has been deliberately written out of the writing of the history of Gibraltar in order to present a united Gibraltarian front against both the Spanish claim and a perceived British betrayal perpetrated on the Rock's inhabitants by the colonial authorities' conduct of the civilian evacuation during the Second World War. It will be shown that returning the role of class to its rightful place in the narrative of Gibraltar's history cannot only improve the qualitity of scholarly analysis but also provide new avenues for political organisation on the Rock. More broadly this paper will make some tentative suggestions as to how the writing of the history of Gibraltar and its influence on the Rock's politics can be seen as a case-study in the way in which elites seek to preserve and advance their position in a society.

Chris Grocott obtained his PhD in History, entitled 'The Moneyed Class of Gibraltar, 1880-1939',in late 2006. He is currently a teaching fellow in the Department of European Languages and Cultures and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of History at Lancaster. Dr. Grocott's current research focusses on class and trade union activity in Gibraltar in the twentieth century.