The Children's War: Britain, 1914-1918

by R. Kennedy

Overview

British children were mobilised for total war in 1914-18. It dominated their school experience and they enjoyed it as a source of entertainment. Their support was believed to be vital for Britain's present and future but their participation was motivated by a desire to remain connected to their absent fathers and brothers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137319357
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	02/13/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	189
Sales rank:	916,735
File size:	770 KB

About the Author

Rosie Kennedy completed her PhD in 2006. She has been a Visiting Tutor in the History Department of Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK since 2004.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Families at War 3. War Imagined 4. Children in Uniform 5. War in the Classroom 6. Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"It was not only adults who became mentally and physically committed to the war for, as Rosie Kennedy demonstrates in this fascinating study, children were mobilised and, to a large extent, mobilised themselves . . . This study, which . . . is based on extensive research, is an important contribution to our knowledge of British society during the Great War. It is also eminently readable." - Times Higher Education

"A fascinating investigation into an overlooked generation. Carefully researched and compiled, this is an excellent source of materials for anyone studying World War One." - Centenary News

"It is the achievement of this book that, when recently confronted with a photograph of British children attending the Armistice Day commemorations, their deceased fathers' medals pinned to their coats, my mind turned immediately to Kennedy's invocation of the need to reflect on the emotional and psychological significance of children's participation in the Great War, and of the importance of considering soldiers not just as husbands and sons, but as fathers too." - Dr Rebecca Gill, Reviews in History

From the Publisher