Highbury Voluntary Aid Detachments Hospital
This photograph shows an outdoor ward at Highbury Hospital in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley staffed by Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD) nurses. Nationally, over 3,000 Auxiliary hospitals attached to ...
Independent Labour Party Minutes
This is a page from the 1914-1921 minute books of the Birmingham Branch of the Independent Labour Party, which was chaired for most of the First World War by the Edgbaston artist Joseph Southall. Under ...
Jester's Bauble
Dr H.C. Crew of Oakswell House in Wednesbury carved this jester's bauble. He made it to entertain Belgian refugees who were staying in the upper floors of his house during the First World War. When the ...
Laurence Cadbury
Laurence Cadbury was the eldest son of Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury, George Cadbury’s second wife. At the outbreak of World War One, aged twenty-five, he volunteered as a member of the Friends Ambulance Unit ...
Lawrence Levy in 'Edgbastonia'
The suburban magazine Edgbastonia regularly profiled figures of local importance, such as Lawrence Levy, a prominent member of the Jewish comunity, who had been a pioneering teacher, Olympic weightlifter ...
Lee Enfield Rifle
During WW1 the Lee Enfield rifle was manufactured in Birmingham at two factories: the Birmingham Small Arms Company in Small Heath (at BSA Guns, Armoury Road) and the Royal Small Arms Factory in Sparkbrook. ...
Letter from Laurence Cadbury to his parents, 26 May 1916
Conscription was implemented in March 1916 as part of the Military Service Act of 1916. Prior to the Act, the British War effort was serviced by the Regular and Territorial Armies that was manned through ...
Letter from Mollie Cadbury to her parents, 26 April 1915
Marian Janet Greeves (née Cadbury) enrolled with the British Red Cross in April 1915 at the age of twenty-one. Like her brother Laurence she saw service in Belgium during World War One. As a Red Cross ...
Matron Lloyd
This photograph shows Matron Lloyd in her office at the Southern General military hospital, Edgbaston; she became famous as Birmingham's "Lady of the Lamp"; as well receiving several honours for her work ...
Mills Grenade
This First World War hand grenade is one of the original ‘Mills Bombs’ manufactured at the Mills Munitions Factory in Bridge Street West, Newtown, Birmingham, which supplied the bomb to the British and ...
Mills Munitions Workers
This photograph shows the staff of the Mills Munitions Factory in Bridge Street West, Newtown, Birmingham, which supplied the 'Mills Bomb' hand grenade to the British and Allied armies throughout the ...
Munitions Training at Birmingham Technical School
In addition to an application form for training men and youths in the manufacture of munitions of war, this letter includes rules for armaments classes and a timetable for the instruction of disabled ...
Neville Chamberlain addressing a meeting of the armed forces
This photograph shows Neville Chamberlain addressing a meeting of soldiers at a civic meeting as Lord Mayor of Birmingham, an office to which he was appointed in 1915; Prime Minister David Lloyd George ...
Nursing Service of Territorial Force
Following the introduction of the Territorial Force Nursing Service (1907) the City Council formed a Birmingham committee was formed in 1909 to enrol a reserve force of nurses in case of national need; ...
'Obviously', by D. Binns
This is one of several caricatures published by wounded soldiers in the Edgbaston WW1 military hospital magazine that express deeply conflicted feelings towards their visitors.
Illustration from The ...
Oral Testimony of Annie Florence Hackett
There are very few early twentieth century oral testimonies or first hand accounts giving details of the experiences of Bournville Works' employees. Annie Florence Hackett’s account is typical of those ...
Packing Comforts for the Troops at Cadbury
This photograph taken during World War One depicts Cadbury employees preparing to ship boxes of Cadbury’s Mexican Chocolate and books to British troops. As soon as war broke out and troops were deployed ...
'Peace?', by W.L. Sherwood
This dramatic frontispiece to an issue of 'The Southern Cross' (the Edgbaston military hospital magazine) is entitled simply ‘Peace?’. It is one of a series of visionary works by Staff Sergeant W.L. Sherwood, ...