Sjömansbiblioteket

Wars affect everyone. Whether they are fought on the battlefields or on the home front, by the armed forces or civilians, sacrifices have to be made, and everyone suffers one way or another. This book gives a flavour of what it was like to live in Newport and the surrounding area during the Great War years.

Newport was proud to send its brothers, husbands, uncles and fathers to fight for King and Country, many of whom had never been far from home before, some who came from decorated service backgrounds for whom the armed services was in their blood. Rich or poor, farm worker, office manager or son of a wealthy estate owner, they all united to defend their town and protect British values and way of life.

Life continued as usual for many of those on the home front, despite, amongst other things, the introduction of DORA, rationing and the loss of the labour force from the farms. Newport was already generous in its giving to the poor but this was taken to a whole new level with the introduction of many national and local war charities. They knitted, sewed, auctioned and sung their way through the war – one Newport women even drove the first tractor in Shropshire, playing no small part in the war effort.

This show of patriotism and stoicism was made against the backdrop of a bloody and heinous war that went on far longer than anticipated. The constant threat of receiving the dreaded telegram indicating their loved one’s fate was never far from the minds of Newport's civilians, yet the people of Newport kept the home fires burning brightly.