Manchester and the Great War to be published in February 2017

Now the book has been a long time in the writing, but Manchester Remembering 1914-18 will be in the shops in February of 2017 

It is a book I have long wanted to write and draws on official reports and newspaper accounts as well as letters and photographs and a multitude of other personal items.

Much of this material has never been seen before and some of it is unique in that it allows us to follow families through the whole conflict challenging many of those easy and preconceived views of the war.

So here is the story of George and Nellie Davison of Harpurhey and Hulme, including his years at night school while living in Chorton before they married, her regular trips to stay with him in London and Ireland and his final letters home before his death in the June of 1918.

Across the city and over the river we learn of Miss Rebecca Chapman’s first week as a Salford tram clippie, and Mrs Fannie Jane Barlow’s juggling act of bringing up two young children while working long houses in a Red Cross Voluntary Hospital.

And amongst all these stories there are those of the thousands of children on “part time education” because their schools had been taken over to look after wounded soldiers.

Much is also made of the opposition to the war, the campaigns against profiteering and the unequal status of women in the workplace.

So it rather has the lot.

And to mark the event the book launch will be held in Central Ref on Saturday February 18th.

The event will include military en actors in period uniform, live contemporary music and a selection of memorabilia featured in the book from David Harrop’s collection

Pictures; Clara in the uniform of the East Lancs, date unknown,  courtesy of David Harrop, Central Ref, 2014 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Location; Manchester









*Manchester Remembering 1914-18 by Andrew Simpson will be published by the History Press in February 2017