British Women's Histories of the First World War

This lively collection of essays showcases recent research into the impact of the conflict on British women during the First World War and since. Looking outside of the familiar representations of wartime women as nurses, munitionettes, and land girls, it introduces the reader to lesser-known aspects of womens war experience, including female composers musical responses to the war, changes in the culture of womens mourning dress, and the complex relationships between war, motherhood, and politics. Written during the wars centenary, the chapters also consider the gendered nature of war memory in Britain, exploring the emotional legacies of the conflict today, and the place of womens wartime stories on the contemporary stage. The collection brings together work by emerging and established scholars contributing to the shared project of rewriting British womens history of the First World War. It is an essential text for anyone researching or studying this history. This book was originally published as a special issue of Womens History Review.