Oxford in the Great War - Malcolm Graham

This book tells the fascinating, and largely forgotten, story of Oxfords part in the Great War. The University City became a military training camp as soldiers and officer cadets occupied mens colleges left virtually empty as undergraduates enlisted. Public buildings were converted into military hospitals where many war casualties were treated. The City also took in Belgian and Serbian refugees. - Oxford dons engaged in vital war work, and academic life largely depended upon the womens colleges. Local industries, including Morriss new car factory at Cowley, converted to war production, and women made munitions or replaced men in other work. - - Fear of invasion sparked the formation of a Dads Army, and a black-out protected the City from air raids. Civilians, especially women, supported the war effort through fund-raising and voluntary work. They also cultivated war allotments as food shortages led to communal kitchens and rationing. - - This expert account shows a civilian population coping with anxiety during a titanic struggle in which college heads and the humblest citizens were afflicted equally by the loss of loved ones. -