This popular series provides detailed snapshots of towns and cities during WWI with concise text and good images at a very affordable price. This new volume looks at Northampton in detail. – Highly Recommended.
The towns and cities were all affected by the first total industrial war. There were many similar experiences, but each had its own local differences. As a result, this series not only appeals to readers who have connections with the area covered by a particular volume, but serious students of military history and the impact of the Great War find this unique series a wonderful collection of information in a series of snapshots of life on the Home Front. During the Great War, the entire population was mobilized in one form or another. The young men of Northampton flocked to the colours as volunteers. That left huge numbers of job vacancies that were filled by women and men too old for military service. For the women, this was often their first experience of work and pay packets. They worked long hours, often doing the most dangerous jobs in munitions manufacture. Businesses that had produced shoes and clothing for local people turned to producing boots and uniforms. Even as the casualty lists grew longer and everyone had either lost a relative, friend or knew someone who was wounded or killed, the support for the national effort was inspiring. The author has provided an amazing amount of detailed information, supported by a very good selection of images, providing a wonderful snapshot of Northampton at war.