Fifty Lives of the First World War is a new book that has been published telling local peoples stories of the First World War.
The book has been created as a result of a four-year-long project involving volunteers and East Riding Archives.
Back in 2014, a volunteer project was set up to tell the previously untold personal stories. These were stories of their experiences involved in the First World War.
Set up on 4 August, the date was chosen as it was exactly 100 years after the outbreak of the war. This was, of course, a war which claimed so many lives. It also impacted many more of those who were lucky enough to return.
Based in Beverley at the East Riding Archives at the Treasure House, volunteers tracked down information on First World War Lives. Once research they wrote a short pen portrait for each person.
The project also used hundreds of photographs of local First World War. These were images of soldiers, sailors and civilians. Images that were used were published in the Beverley Guardian between 1915 and 1920.
Those behind the project say its aim was to bring to life the stories of these East Riding people.
Volunteers Choose Stories For Fifty Lives of the First World War Book
For the past four years, these works have been displayed in the Treasure House in an exhibition that changed each week.
While the research is now available to be viewed within the Archives, a book has been produced to celebrate the conclusion of the project.
Content featured in the book has been selected by the volunteers who worked on the project. They were each asked to put forward their favourite lives and stories they had researched.
Fifty Lives of the First World War brings to life the stories of people from the East Riding. It is available to purchase at the Treasure House and is priced just £4.50.
As an ex Beverley Grammar School boy originating from Willerby,I knew Beverley quite well.I worked at Brigs and Powell from 1959 till 1964,as a TV engineer. Five and a half years.I would say they were the
most enjoyable years of my early working life.As a” towny” I was often asked “areye a Bivlla lad” ? obviously I was not and more often than not the conversation became short but I took it in good part.I ventured out into the farms and villages meeting lots of lovely people. Once,at farm ,Isat down to dinner with all the farm hands at a big long table, having fixed the TV,the farmers wife asked “deye want sum lad” ? I didn’t need to be asked twice, a giant home cooked meat pie,lots of mash and gravy.Wonderfull .The shop at B& P was very old fashioned,to get to my workshop,I had to go upstairs through a long storage area which had lots of old stock hanging from hooks in the roof beams.It was like a museum,lots of things to do with horses,blacksmiths ,ploughs, old oil lamps,metal fixtures for fences,all the sort of stuff needed for an agricultureal area. In the TV workshop where I worked,there was a shelf,with radio valves from the earliest times still in their boxes,all obsolete even then.In the back room,was stacked lots of old radios ,in beautifull wooden cabinets, I wish I could have my pick of them now,but worthless at that time.
There was another room at the back,in which they serviced and rpaired lawnmowers,the place was soaked in paraffin used for cleaning,I don’t think anyone thought about it at the time,but wasn’t that a fire hazard!