From Street to Trench: A World War that Shaped a Region

Imperial War Museum North

Our new exhibition, the largest of its kind, reveals the important contribution the North West made during the First World War.

Marking the 100 year commemoration we have gathered together over 200 objects, films, sound recordings, photographs, artworks and letters. The displays include items from IWM’s unrivalled national collections and from personal public donated items, many of which have never been on public display before.

Find out how the war affected the region and discover how the society we live in today was born out of the rapid changes that resulted from the First World War.

Discover stories of remarkable individuals – from Clement Attlee, who went on to become Prime Minister,  poet Wilfred Owen and celebrity musician Vesta Tilley, to previously unknown Tommies, medics and civilians.

As the North West was a major focus for recruitment, many left the region for the first time to serve across the globe. The exhibition features previously unpublished stories of soldiers, sailors and pilots who fought in all major campaigns, from Gallipoli in Turkey to the Somme in France and Ypres in Belgium.

Founded in 1917 to mark the sacrifices made by civilians and soldiers alike, IWM is a world leading authority on the First World War. This will be IWM’s first major exhibition marking the centenary in 2014.