The Great War left an indelible mark on almost every town and village in Britain and this extensively researched book looks in detail at how that war affected the town of Swansea and its people.??Themes covered in the book include recruitment and the treatment of conscientious objectors, how Belgian refugees were cared for, and what happened to foreign nationals who were living in Swansea at the outbreak of war. How the war affected the trade of the town, especially the docks, is examined, as well as the fate of numerous Swansea ships that became targets for the German U-Boat campaign. The organisation of medical aid for wounded servicemen and the effect of food shortages, and its subsequent rationing in Swansea, are covered. The new roles performed by women and the efforts made in the town to provide support for those left at home, or serving at the front, are also examined. ??Away from the Home Front, the actions of both of the Swansea Victoria Cross winners are recounted, as are the stories of some of those who served on land, on sea, or in the air. These include a Swansea airman who was downed by the famous Red Baron, another who flew again after losing a leg in combat, a Swansea sailor who was lost in an encounter with a German U-Boat, the Swansea officer who twice escaped from a POW camp, and several former Swansea men who returned with Canadian, Australian or South African units to fight the common foe, with often tragic results. There are also stories of a Swansea nurse captured by the Austrians in Serbia, and a Swansea doctor at Gallipoli.??Swansea in the Great War is a welcome and long overdue look at how the Great War affected the town and its people. ??How did the experience of war affect Swansea and the surrounding area? - From the initial enthusiasm, to the gradual realization of the enormity of human sacrifice the families of Swansea were committed to as the war stretched out over the next four years. A record of the growing disillusion of the people, their tragedies and hardships and a determination to see it through. ??The Great War affected everyone. At home there were wounded soldiers in military hospitals, refugees from Belgium and later on German prisoners of war. There were food and fuel shortages and disruption to schooling. The role of women changed dramatically and they undertook a variety of work undreamed of in peacetime. Extracts from contemporary letters reveal their heroism and give insights into what it was like under battle conditions, including the disastrous first day at the Somme for the Swansea Pals.

The Swansea Battalion served in France and Flanders for over three years suffering heavy losses. Its courageous story has never been told before in such detail. Setting off in December 1915 for the Western Front it was still advancing when the Armistice was signed in November 1918.

Acting as an important distribution centre for weapons and for troops, and as a location for military industries, led to Swansea being highlighted as a target for enemy attacks. This book is an account of Swansea's experiences during the Second World War, and a tribute to those in the town who kept Swansea's spirit alive.

The astonishing story of Henry Coombe-Tennant (1913-89), who served in the British Army in World War II, escaping from a POW camp, joining Special Forces and aiding the French Resistance before working for the British Secret Service in Baghdad and ending his days as a Benedictine monk!

Nuala C. Johnson explores the complex relationship between social memory and space in the representation of war in Ireland. The Irish experience of the Great War, and its commemoration, is the location of Dr Johnson's sustained and pioneering examination of the development of memorial landscapes, and her study represents a major contribution both to cultural geography and to the historiography of remembrance. Attractively illustrated, this book combines theoretical perspectives with original primary research showing how memory literally took place in post-1918 Ireland, and the various conflicts and struggles that were both a cause and effect of this process. Of interest to scholars in a number of disciplines, Ireland, The Great War and The Geography of Remembrance shows powerfully how Irish efforts to collectively remember the Great War were constantly in dialogue with issues surrounding the national question, and the memorials themselves bore witness to these tensions and ambiguities.

- Original research and unprecedented knowledge provided about the conscientious objectors from Wales during the Great War. - In-depth original description and analysis of the activity of the pacifist anti-war movement in Wales and its extent, including the activity of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and key chapels and ministers. - In depth original description and analysis of the political anti-war movement, including the Independent Labour Party and the left within the South Wales Miners Federation. It assesses the impact of the the anti-war movement in key areas in Wales such as Merthyr Tydfil and Briton Ferry, where the ILP was strongest.

This volume brings together new research whilst re-evaluating older assumptions about the immediate and continuing impact of World War I on Ireland. It explores some lesser-known aspects of Ireland’s war years as well as including studies of more traditional areas. Individual articles cover military, social, cultural, political, and economic aspects of the Great War, as well as reflecting on continuity and change within Irish historiography. In doing so, they analyze how the experience and memory of the War have contributed to identity formation and the legitimization of political violence.