Leicester in the Great War

This WWI history shines a light on the contributions and sacrifices made by the English city Leicester through vivid firsthand accounts.

When the Great War broke out in 1914, Leicester was represented in Parliament by Ramsey MacDonald, one of the founders of the Labour Party. His anti-war stance sharply divide his constituents, and while the city was slow to provide troops for Kitchener’s Army, it had no lack of patriotism. Leicester’s three main industries—footwear, hosiery and engineering—all contributed to the war effort through massive government war contracts.

Bravery on the battlefield, strikes at home, conscientious objectors and the great flu pandemic were all part of Leicester’s story in the Great War, and all are covered here. The Leicester citizens who lived through these momentous events tell their stories in their own words with powerful eyewitness accounts throughout the book—many of which are published here for the first time.