The Stroud Valleys in the Great War

The Stroud Valleys in the Great War

Author: Camilla Boon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2017-01-03

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0750981857

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Stroud's Five Valleys in the Great War offers an intimate portrayal of the region and its people living in the shadow of the 'war to end all wars'. This highly accessible volume explores themes of local reaction to the outbreak of war; the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry and related unrest; the work of the hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front and how people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of the Stroud Valleys – including Stroud, Brimscombe, Chalford, Bussage, Woodchester, Stonehouse, Minchinhampton and Rodborough – is recalled by those who were there and is vividly illustrated with photographs, postcards, documents and other First World War ephemera.


Stroud Valleys in the Great War

Stroud Valleys in the Great War

Author: Camilla Boon

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2017-01-03

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0750981857

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Stroud’s Five Valleys in the Great War offers an intimate portrayal of the region and its people living in the shadow of the 'war to end all wars'. This highly accessible volume explores themes of local reaction to the outbreak of war; the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry and related unrest; the work of the hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front and how people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of the Stroud Valleys – including Stroud, Brimscombe, Chalford, Bussage, Woodchester, Stonehouse, Minchinhampton and Rodborough – is recalled by those who were there and is vividly illustrated with photographs, postcards, documents and other First World War ephemera.


Philanthropy and Voluntary Action in the First World War

Philanthropy and Voluntary Action in the First World War

Author: Peter Grant

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-02-18

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1134500319

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This book challenges scholarship which presents charity and voluntary activity during World War I as marking a downturn from the high point of the late Victorian period. Charitable donations rose to an all-time peak, and the scope and nature of charitable work shifted decisively. Far more working class activists, especially women, became involved, although there were significant differences between the suburban south and industrial north of England and Scotland. The book also corrects the idea that charitably-minded civilians’ efforts alienated the men at the front, in contrast to the degree of negativity that surrounds much previous work on voluntary action in this period. Far from there being an unbridgeable gap in understanding or empathy between soldiers and civilians, the links were strong, and charitable contributions were enormously important in maintaining troop morale. This bond significantly contributed to the development and maintenance of social capital in Britain, which, in turn, strongly supported the war effort. This work draws on previously unused primary sources, notably those regarding the developing role of the UK’s Director General of Voluntary Organizations and the regulatory legislation of the period.


Gloucestershire and North Bristol Soldiers on the Somme

Gloucestershire and North Bristol Soldiers on the Somme

Author: Nick Thornicroft

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2007-06-01

Total Pages: 177

ISBN-13: 0750962550

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When war broke out in 1914 there was a widespread sense of optimism among the British public. Fired by patriotic fervour and pride in their nation, many were convinced that &‘it would all be over by Christmas' and young men rushed to join the army and share in the &‘honour and glory' of war. These illusions were swiftly lost as a war of attrition developed; advances on both sides were small and casualties high. Even with this background, the slaughter on 1 July 1916 of thousands of British soldiers, who went over the top to their deaths on the Somme, shocked a world increasingly conditioned to the realities of armed conflict. Nick Thornicroft delves into the heart of the British Army on the blackest day in its history and gives a vivid portrayal of Gloucestershire soldiers in the heat of battle; these ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances, fighting with incredible bravery for their country's future.Through assiduous research and compassion for his subject, Nick Thornicroft has woven the experiences of Gloucestershire and North Bristol's soldiers into the wider military story, and in doing so brings a human aspect to one of the most inhuman battles in history. The author has also written about the Somme experiences of other men from the South West in his book Cornwall's Fallen: The Road to the Somme, also available from The History Press (ISBN 978 0 7524 4528 1).


Serving the empire in the Great War

Serving the empire in the Great War

Author: Andrekos Varnava

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2017-08-07

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1526103680

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This book contributes to the growing literature on the role of the British non-settler empire in the Great War by exploring the service of the Cypriot Mule Corps on the Salonica Front, and after the war in Constantinople. Varnava encompasses all aspects of the story of the Mule Corps, from the role of the animals to the experiences of the men driving them both during and after the war, as well as how and why this significant story in the history of Cyprus and the British Empire has been forgotten. The book will be of great value to anyone interested in the impact of the Great War upon the British Empire in the Mediterranean, and vice- versa.


British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century

British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century

Author: Malcolm Fife

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Published: 2017-05-17

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13:

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Numerous books have been written on airships, but few concentrate on their bases and infrastructure to support their operations. British Airship Bases of the Twentieth Century starts with documenting the primitive facilities from which the early machines flew in the years prior to the First World War. The outbreak of the First World War resulted in airships being adopted for military purposes and bases were established across Britain. Most of these were operated by the Royal Naval Air Service for the protection of shipping against U-boats. In the 1920s, an attempt was made by the British Government to build airships for commercial transport. The locations where these giants of the sky were constructed are described as well as the proposed overseas passenger terminals. The latter part of this enthralling and detailed book chronicles the attempt to establish the airship as a means of transport to link together the far flung lands of the British Empire. Reference is also made at attempts to revive the airship in the closing decade of the 20th century and the locations associated with them. Illustrations: 170 black and white photographs


Sheffield in the Great War

Sheffield in the Great War

Author: Peter Warr

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2015-05-29

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1473860970

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This fascinating new book is devoted to an almost unknown period in the history of Sheffield. It sets the city's people and events against a background of key national developments by looking also at the way government regulations were tightened, how the country's morale was maintained, and how industry was encouraged to deliver more output.Sheffield in the Great War is written for the general reader, and a large number of the city's residents, companies and streets are mentioned by name. Many aspects of life and work are described and illustrated with more than one hundred original photographs. Numerous advertisements and excerpts are presented from the city's wartime newspapers, and highlighted Display Boxes in every chapter summarize particularly interesting or quirky themes. For more specialist readers, Notes at the end of the book provide additional detail and links to other publications and websites; general readers can of course ignore those. Two substantial Indexes make it easy to find personally-relevant people, topics and places.The book thus offers to the general reader an easy-to-read narrative with many pictures, and it provides a valuable source of information and reference to those who would like to learn more. Sheffield in the Great War starts with a brief account of the conflict itself, looking at its enormous cost not only in terms of money but also in thousands and thousands of men and horses killed or disabled. Next it presents short reviews of Britain and the city in 1914 to introduce national features which became important in wartime Sheffield. The following chapters describe Sheffield life in the four and a half years of war, with special attention to recruiting and the creation of more than twenty new military hospitals. Huge numbers of people devoted themselves to voluntary work, and the book includes much information that has been lost for the past hundred years.


Great War Britain Hull and the Humber: Remembering 1914-18

Great War Britain Hull and the Humber: Remembering 1914-18

Author: Susanna O'Neill

Publisher: The History Press

Published: 2015-09-07

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 0750965746

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today. Great War Britain Hull & the Humber offers an intimate portrayal of the city and its people living in the shadow of the 'war to end all wars'. A beautifully illustrated and highly accessible volume, it describes local reaction to the outbreak of war; the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry; the work of the many hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on local children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front; and concludes with a chapter dedicated to how the city and its people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of Hull is told through the voices of those who were there and is vividly illustrated through evocative images from Hull City Archives.