British Widows of the First World War: The Forgotten Legion

Andrea Hetherington

Apr 2018 · Casemate Publishers

About this ebook

Widows of the Great War is the first major account of the experience of women who had to cope with the death of their husbands during the conflict and then rebuild their lives. It explores each stage of their bereavement, from the shock of receiving the news that their husband had been killed, through grief and mourning to the practical issues of compensation and a widow's pension. The way in which the state and society treated the widows during this process is a vital theme running through the book as it reveals in vivid detail how the bureaucracy of war helped and hindered them as they sought to come to terms with their loss. Andrea Hetherington also describes often overlooked aspects of bereavement, and she features many telling first-hand accounts from the widows themselves which show how they saw their situation and how they reacted to it. Her study gives us a fascinating insight into the way in which the armed services and the government regarded war widows during the early years of the twentieth century.

About the author

Andrea Hetherington is an independent researcher and writer with a particular interest in the social history of the First World War. She has acted as a consultant to a number of Heritage Lottery funded projects on the war in Yorkshire and is a regular speaker at events throughout the region. Her publications include ‘“Any little article I would be pleased to have”: The Experience of British Widows of the First World War’ in Britain Goes to War edited by Peter Liddle and The History of Procter Brothers Ltd.