IWM: The First World War on the Home Front

"Your country Needs YOU!" was the poster slogan that shouted out to many during the First World War. And indeed, it did. As men of all ages joined the Forces and left their homes and jobs, so those left behind were forced to step up and take their place. Food shortages, rationing, the "First Blitz" and the appearance of women in the workplace all became familar.

Drawing on the archives of the Imperial War Museum, author Terry Charman presents a lively portrait of life on the Home Front in the First World War. Filled with absorbing first-hand accounts taken from diaries, letters and newspaper reports, the changing life in Britain between 1914 and 1918 is revealed in vivid and immensely personal detail by the people who actually lived through it.

From the draconian effects of DORA (Defence of the Realm Act) to the threat of Zeppelin raids, to government propaganda and the power of the press, The First World War on the Home Front recalls how the people of Britain not only faced up to the threats to their country but also prepared for the fact that life in Britain would never be the same.