Find a Starting Point - Home Front Events

You might be interested in researching an event that occurred during the First World War(WW1). You will need to be able to connect the event with a place and specific location (National Grid Reference NGR) , so for example if you were studying the Zeppelin raids you would need to identify places that suffered bomb damage or places where the Zeppelins were shot down.

If you were looking at the bombardment of the East Coast by German battleships the same principles would apply.

You might look at some of the major accidents at munitions works, the sites of the National Factories are known but potentially there may be more you can add to the story.

You might research the buildings and public spaces where significant events occured, so for example in Sheffield there survives film footage of the troops asembling in the former public space, Fitzalan Square. You could connect films and photographic footage with the places where the footage was taken.

You might look for court buildings where trials were held including misdemeanours such as “treating” or buying a round of drinks were held ( this was forbidden in the First World War) and connect that with the site of the offence- the local public house.

If you are researching your local area start with the local published accounts and books as well as looking at the Historic Environment Records.