THE LIVES of young people during World War One will be the subject of a special international conference to be held at the University on Saturday, November 7.
Being Young During World War One seeks to examine the effects of the First World War on children and young people, and its social and psychological legacies.
Dr Fiona Cosson, from the Manchester Centre for Regional History, said: “Growing up in a period of conflict had an immense impact on the young. There were deep fears and anxieties, but also freedoms and opportunities.
“For some, the costs were relationships traumatised by separation and the death or injury of family members and friends. For others, school lives were disrupted, adult supervision relaxed and wages rose as a result of labour shortage. Some were caught up in the military excitements of war and enlisted as boy soldiers; others protested and took part in strike action. The image of the child became a potent figure in propaganda and patriotic parades and performances, while war themes became a popular theme in juvenile literature.”
The keynote speakers will be Professor Maggie Andrews and Professor Jean Webb from the University of Worcester. Other speakers are drawn from Britain, Belgium, New Zealand, France and Canada, speaking on topics including Orphans, Boy Scouts, Art and Literature, School Curricular, Propaganda, Disability, and Women’s Radical Movements.
To book your free place for the Being Young During World War One conference, go to www.beingyoungww1.eventbrite.co.uk.
