Exhibition tells untold stories of Birmingham's First World War

A new exhibition at the Library of Birmingham will tell the untold stories of how the First World War affected the city and the people who lived through it.

Voices of the First World War opens on 5 October and runs until 5 January, in The Gallery on the third floor of the library. Entry is free.

Community research

The exhibition brings together work carried out by community groups since the centenary commemorations of the war began in August 2014. The projects tell previously untold stories and share the findings of new research into the war and its aftermath.

It has been organised by the Voices of War and Peace First World War Engagement Centre, which is based at the University of Birmingham and the Library of Birmingham.

What visitors will see

Among the projects on display is work by pupils from Rookery School in Handsworth, who looked at how life in and around the city has changed since 1918.

There is also a behind-the-scenes look at Birmingham's wartime hospitals, including Highbury in Moseley, the former home of Joseph Chamberlain, and the 1st Southern General Hospital, which was based at the University of Birmingham. The exhibition also explores some controversial stories from the front line.

A lasting impact

Councillor Tristan Chatfield, cabinet member for social inclusion, community safety and equalities, said the city had been remembering the armed forces and the citizens who died throughout the centenary.

"The exhibition shows the wider impact the war had on our city and beyond, not just at the time but for decades that followed, in terms of how society 'worked'," he said.

Dr Nicola Gauld, co-ordinator of the engagement centre at the University of Birmingham, said the work of community groups had helped improve understanding of the Great War.

"We are proud and excited to be able to showcase examples of this work which tells some untold and unknown stories about the war, from the experiences of injured soldiers returning to their home city and attempting to resume a 'normal' life to the traumatic effects the war had on children and the impact on women's lives," she said.

Funded by the Lottery

All of the projects in the exhibition were funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund's First World War: Then and Now grants programme. Since 2010, the fund has supported more than 2,000 First World War projects across the country.

A centenary year

The exhibition opens just weeks before the 100th anniversary of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, which ended the fighting on the Western Front. Events are being held across the country to mark the centenary, and many families are taking the opportunity to find out more about relatives who served.

Birmingham played a major part in the war effort, with its factories turning to munitions and its hospitals caring for thousands of wounded soldiers. Many of the city's men served in the Birmingham Pals battalions, and the exhibition offers a chance to understand how the war touched almost every family in the city.

The exhibition is open from 11am to 7pm on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 11am to 5pm from Wednesday to Saturday.