Historians from Lancaster University are
inviting local people to help flesh out the stories of more than a
thousand men from the city who died in World War One.
“Streets of Mourning,” a unique map highlighting the
homes of the dead, is being showcased in St Nicholas Arcades on February
12 as part of Campus in the City, where Lancaster University brings its
research into the community.
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| The Lancaster War Memorial |
Streets coloured red on the map suffered heavy casualties; these
include Ullswater Road in Freehold with at least 17 dead, in Primrose,
Clarence Street suffered 15 losses and Prospect Street 14 while Norfolk
Street in Skerton also had 14. Many other streets had similar numbers of
deaths.
Simply by clicking on their street, neighbourhood or school, people
can find out the names and personal details of the casualties along with
information about their next of kin.
Current schoolchildren can also find which former pupils from their
school died in the conflict.
Schools such as Lancaster Royal Grammar
School, Skerton School, Bowerham School and Cathedral Primary (formerly
St Peter’s School) all suffered dozens of casualties among their old
boys.
The interactive map is based on research by the Lancaster Military Heritage Group and materials held by Peter Donnelly of the King’s Own Royal Regiment Museum, who is dressing in World War One uniform for the event on 12th February.
He worked closely with historians from Lancaster University like
Professor Ian Gregory, who says the ‘Streets of Mourning’ maps will help people
begin to understand the impact that the deaths of over 1,000 young men
would have had on a town the size of Lancaster.
“We want people to tell
any stories they may know of these people,” he said, “because we need local
knowledge. We also want to know how we can improve the website and how
people want to use it.”
One ultimate aim is to create a walking tour of Lancaster in the
First World War, to include some of the worst affected streets, with
pictures and names of the dead in the window of each house affected by a
loss.
Dr Corinna Peniston-Bird of Lancaster University said: “There were
dozens of dead on some streets – fathers, sons and brothers – and the
impact on the community must have been immense. Whole streets would have
been in mourning. We are interested not just in those who died but
also in those who survived and had to live with that loss.”
• The free event , “Lancaster and the First World War: The King’s Own,
Casualties and Westfield War Memorial Village then and now” will run
throughout the week from Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15th February 2014 from 10am to
5:30pm every day.