First World War Study Day

Image: For King and Country © IWM (Art.IWM ART 6513)

This study day, coming on the centenary of Lord Kitchener's death and in the run up to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, aims to showcase some of the high level research being conducted by historians at Sheffield Hallam University. Expert talks will be offered on Kitchener, on Sheffield during the Great War, on the Battle of the Somme, on rural life in England during the war, and on internment and the treatment of enemy aliens. There will also be a session run by a local representative of the Heritage Lottery Fund on putting bids together for local and community history projects; and several local groups will be invited to set up stalls to provide information about their activities during the breaks. The day will end with a screening of the British documentary film made at the Battle of the Somme, which was first shown to British cinema audiences in August 1916.

Entrance is free but places must be reserved in advance. Please ensure you select the correct ticket if you wish to attend the film screening from 3.30-5pm.

Programme

8.45am Stall Holders and student volunteers arrive

9.15am Day Opens

9.45am Welcoming addresses (Peak Lecture theatre):

• Chris Hopkins (Sheffield Hallam University)
• Representative from the Gateways to the First World War Centre, Canterbury, Kent
• Alison Fell (University of Leeds)

10am Session 1 (Peak Lecture Theatre)

• Chris Corker: ‘Sheffield in World War I’
• Nicola Verdon: 'War in the Countryside: Agriculture and Food Production'

11am Break

11.30am Session 2 (Peak Lecture Theatre)

• Bruce Collins: ‘Kitchener: From Colonial Campaigns to Industrial Warfare’
• Merv Lewis: ‘From the Somme to Victory: Lloyd George and the Generals, 1916-18’

12.30pm LUNCH + further opportunity to look at stalls

1.30pm Session led by Helen Peacock, Development Officer for the Heritage Lottery Fund, Yorkshire and Humber Region (Peak Lecture Theatre)

2pm Session 3 (Peak Lecture Theatre)

• Matthew Stibbe: ‘Enemy Aliens in Wartime: Sheffielders in the Ruhleben Camp in Germany, 1914-1918’
• Gertie Whitfield: ‘Looking Into a “Quiet Life”: Developing Materials for Use in Schools on Enemy Aliens in Wartime’

3pm Break

3.30pm Film screening. 1916 British Documentary: The Battle of the Somme (The Void)

Introduced by Martin Carter

5pm Study Day ends