Tales of bravery, conflict and tragedy from Leicestershire soldiers in the First World War will be told to the public at a history event this week.
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) academics John Dilley and David Penman are presenting their research into the stories of soldiers from Leicestershire and Derbyshire on Saturday as part of Military History Live.
The event, at the Adult Education Centre in Belvoir Street, Leicester, will cover conflicts from the past 500 years and how they shaped the city, county and its residents.
John and David have been blogging in real-time extracts from the Market Harborough Advertiser, Leicestershire and the Ashbourne Telegraph, Derbyshire, which show how the war was being reported at the time. They have also been comparing the national newspaper coverage with that of the regional newspapers.
John said: “Most of the Fleet Street reporters produced fairly broad-brush accounts, fairly lofty in tone, with an almost literary approach. Local newspapers like the Market Harborough Advertiser and the Ashbourne Telegraph which were much more intimate.
“They sourced many of their stories via those Fleet Street reporters and official communiqués but they also used the very personal – and often bleakly honest – letters from frontline soldiers to their loved ones.
“And they were surprisingly eloquent and rivalled any literary or poetic accounts produced contemporaneously or from our own era.”
Events include ‘cafe conversations’ about internment, conscientious objectors, prisoners of war, those shot at dawn for desertion or cowardice in the First World War.
The free event from 10am to 4pm includes two book launches and illustrated talks, as well as the chance for people interested in researching their family history to get help and advice.
There will also be re-enactors, modellers and talks on Civil War Leicester and Anglo-Boer Wars. It is sponsored by Helion & Co Publishers and staged by the Documentary Media Centre.
Posted on Wednesday 15 June 2016