Four Years Remembered – Leicester in the Great War

This book examines the issues large and small surrounding the town during the war years. It tells of food and fuel shortages, the raising and training of local units and a myriad of other events during the greatest social upheaval of the 20th century'

WITH the outbreak of war in August 1914 life in Leicester was to change irrevocably. The huge demands to provide men to fight on the Western Front, combined with the need for an increased industrial output, led to great conflicts of interest.

An energetic anti-war campaign mounted by one of the Borough’s two Members of Parliament, Ramsay MacDonald, led to serious criticism, both during and after the war, of Leicester’s commitment to the war effort.

It tells the story of food and fuel shortages, the raising and training of local units to send to the Front, of the town being cut off in violent snow storms along with a myriad of other happenings during the greatest social upheaval of the 20th century.

This fascinating story takes the reader on a unique journey beginning in 1914 with the initial call to arms for the men of Leicester to join the Colours, through to the pageantry of the town being granted city status in 1919.

About the Author

Ben Beazley was a policeman for almost thirty years. A keen local historian, he is also the author of a number of books on his home town of Leicester as well as three novels.