A working party of the Manchester Regiment moving up to the trenches near Serre in France, January 1917
From Street to Trench: The World War that Shaped a Region explores how individual lives were affected by the First World War through photography and other exhibits, much of which has never before been shown publicly.
A range of photography from the period illustrates the stories of North Western Englanders during the War, including shots of infantry battalions from Preston and Manchester as well as images of women workers on the home front.
The images join documents, mementoes, manuscripts and medals in tracing the journeys of people from the North West in all of the war’s major campaigns.
Graham Boxer, Director of IWM North, said, ‘One hundred years on, the objects we display highlight the poignancy and courage of people who shaped and were shaped by this first global conflict. Even a century later there are stories untold, experiences undiscovered and tales that will surprise.’
The From Street to Trench exhibition forms one part of IWM North’s ongoing season of events throughout 2014 that mark the centenary of the Great War, which also includes a dedicated photography exhibit titled Women and Industry in the First World War, which opened in January.
Female glass worker carrying a tube of rolled glass at Pilkington Glass Ltd., St Helen’s, 1918.
Six images by First World War photographer George Parham Lewis from IWM’s Photographic Archive were unveiled in 5-metre high frames on the Manchester Quays outside IWM North.
George Parham Lewis was an official photographer of the home front and specialised in photographing women working in heavy industries such as a glass, vehicles and food.
The IWM North exhibitions are free of charge. Women and Industry in the First World War is open now, while From Street to Trench opens on April 5. For more details visit www.iwm.org.uk.
