When news of the war first broke out in 1914, the citizens of
Peterborough could not have been prepared for the changes that would
occur over the next four years. This book takes a detailed looks at
Peterborough's involvement in the Great war from when it commenced in
July 1914, to the Armistice in November 1918, covering in great detail
its affect on the city and the every day lives of its people. For
example, the factory Werner Pfeiderer & Perkins at Westwood Works was
forced to change its name to Perkins Engineers due to the anti-German
feeling at the outbreak of the war.
One in six of Peterborough's working age men did not return from the
front line, and in one single day forty-six men from the city lost their
lives. Many of these men came from Peterborough's factories. As a
result, these factories looked to women to produce armaments and tanks,
as well as repairing guns used in the trenches.
Edith Cavell, the famous British nurse, grew up in Peterborough and was
shot dead in 1915 for assisting the escape of Allied soldiers from
Belgium. Peterborough in the Great War is a poignant testimony not
only to her bravery, but that of the city's people and their momentous
efforts.