Event: Untold Stories launch

‘Untold Stories: Birmingham’s Wounded Soldiers from WW1’ by the People’s Heritage Co-operative and funded by an HLF First World War Then & Now grant, focused on those soldiers returning to Birmingham from the Great War with serious physical and psychological injuries.

In this project they have mapped the sites of hospital treatment and convalescence that were set up in the city and explored what happened to the soldiers after their treatment ended and the impact on the city as a whole during the immediate war period and in the subsequent decades.

One of the most significant sites was Highbury in Moseley, the former residence of Joseph Chamberlain, which was donated to the city in 1915 for use as a Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital. Working together with pupils from Swanshurst School and members of the public in a series of community workshops to research the topic, the Co-op have produced a short film documenting their work and an accessible learning guide that will be launched at this event.

The guide draws together fragmented information about Birmingham as a site of medical treatment for military personnel during the First World War. The guide will also provide a practical purpose and support; listing helpful websites, relevant archives and heritage material, and their repositories. Both will be available after the event on the Co-operative’s website.

Event information

Free event, no booking required

Tuesday 13 September, 6.30-8pm

Highbury Hall, 4 Yew Tree Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8QG

Part of Birmingham Heritage Week