Not Forgotten: The Great War and Our Modern Memory

Description

There are 37,780 First World War memorials in Britain, listing names from all walks of life - estates, villages, places of work. They stand as landmarks to a defining period in British history - and yet one which is in danger of slipping away from popular memory. NOT FORGOTTEN is a revealing look at the untold stories that lie behind these lists of names - stories of the impact of World War One on British society, the echoes of which can still be felt today. More than a conflict overseas, it was the catalyst for an extraordinary period of rapid and radical change to the social, cultural and political fabric of the nation. Social restrictions on women were revolutionised, from jobs and the vote to new freedoms in dress, behaviour and sexuality. The class system was thrown into disarray, both at home and on the front lines; roles were reversed in family life for a large part of the population, through bereavement, evacuation and children put to work in munitions factories. And as the state took drastic measures to cope with this turmoil, so the foundations were laid for the society in which we live today.

Neil Oliver is a writer, historian and television presenter. A leading archaeologist, he has worked on many sites, including the battlefields of Zululand, and is co-author of TWO MEN IN A TRENCH. He is thirty-four and lives in Glasgow.

'An important and poignant Christmas success.' - Bookseller 'Oliver has written a deeply moving book about a war that is rapidly receding in our national consciousness . . . This book tells not merely of captains and kings, but of the ordinary men who battled, and the women who cared for them, more than 90 years ago. They deserve to be remembered.' - Daily Express