This book for schools has been made possible through a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, secured by the Belper Arts Festival. It has been designed to help students better understand the impacts World War One had on the people of Belper, particularly those who stayed in the town whilst many of the men were away fighting across Europe. It tries to provide an understanding of what the town was like just before, and during the first 18 months of the war, and the challenges people faced in wartime.

This book does not cover the whole of the war period, but closes shortly before the Battle of the Somme, the first day of which ended in the loss of many Belper men’s lives. There is a plan to complete Belper’s wartime story with a second publication at a future date.

At the end of this book you will find a glossary of words which students may not recognise, as well as a map of Belper in 1914 and questions for each of the chapters, to help teachers and children discuss the topics covered.

Download the book here, you will require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF file.