Themes

This strand of research activity is examining the effects of the First World War on Leeds and Yorkshire more broadly. Leeds was not only involved in terms of its mobilised men, but equally as an industrial city that was a key factor in the material, equipment, uniforms and armaments that the war required.

Culture and the Arts constitutes one of five strands of the University of Leeds Legacies of War hub. It aims to organise a number of events and activities that draw attention to the cultural and artistic legacies of the First World War and reach out to the people of Leeds, Yorkshire and beyond with a programme that is academically informed, accessible and entertaining.

The Great War was the first large-scale conflict in which all combatants relied heavily on innovative science and technology e.g. chemical warfare, tanks and telecommunications. This strand explores how Universities such as Leeds played a major role in supplying the expertise to develop and apply such innovations at the battlefront.

Jessica Meyer has been working alongside students from the school of history to design a workshop on British medical evacuation during the war to take into primary schools. They have been working closely with Dee Matthews at Lotherton Hall, who is organising a workshop around the activities of auxiliary hospitals in wartime, to create a package of resources.

The overarching theme of the War and Resistance strand is ‘telling different war stories’ and the primary interest is in uncovering and presenting the stories of those who resisted the war in various ways. This extends beyond explorations of pacifism and conscientious objectors, to those who resisted the war for political reasons, for example