Two Swansea University lecturers are helping BBC Cymru Wales with a major history project on World War One.
Historians Dr Gethin Matthews and Dr Gerard Oram are helping to research World War One at Home, a series of 200 broadcasts and online stories, some in English, some in Welsh and some in both.
These will build a collective history of Welsh people whose lives were transformed by the war and the lasting legacy that the conflict had on the nation.
Dr Oram said:
“This is a fascinating project to be involved with. It will highlight the parallel narratives of people on the home front in Wales – in schools, churches, hospitals and factories.
“It should provide a lasting resource for schools and anyone who is interested in social history.”
Dr Matthews said:
“This proves that the history of World War One is about far more than Haig, battle lines and trenches. This will put the war into a Welsh context using snapshots of rural and industrial life from every corner of the nation.
“We also look at it as an opportunity to bust a few myths about the war. Its effects on Wales were profound but far more complex than might appear at first.”
World War One at Home is being mirrored across the UK and Ireland in a unique broadcasting event. Eventually about 1,400 stories will be bought to life on TV, radio and online – all linked to specific places in a way never told before.
It will uncover surprising stories about familiar places – where the wounded were treated, major scientific breakthroughs made and prisoners of war held.
Dr Oram and Dr Matthews, along with Dr Lester Mason, of University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter, will be advising on the war’s impact on Wales and highlighting links with broader national and international events and themes.
Broadcasts will begin in the run-up to the August centenary of the outbreak of war.
The research is being funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council through its Care for the Future theme which explores how the relationship between the past, present and future shapes our understanding of the world around us.
