Capturing Commemoration: Reflections on the First World War Centenary in Britain

The First World War Centenary of 2014-2018 was a defining period of public engagement in the United Kingdom. Capturing Commemoration provides the first dedicated examination of this period and the activities that marked it. Collaboratively written by leading experts in the field, this study explores how the Centenary was marked as both a national and a transnational commemoration, how it defined national identity, as well as how it was transmitted within museum exhibitions, digital spaces, and amongst younger generations. In doing so, this volume reflects on the ‘collaborative turn’ taking place within public history, and its implications for cooperation between the academy and the public.

Lucy Noakes is the Rab Butler Chair and Professor of Modern History at the University of Essex. She researches the experiences and memory of the twentieth-century’s two total wars in Britain and is President of the Royal Historical Society.

Catriona Pennell is Professor of Modern History and Memory Studies at the University of Exeter. She is interested in the socio-cultural history of modern conflict and empire, with a particular focus on youth, education, and the transmission of cultural memory. 

Emma Hanna is Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Portsmouth. She has published widely in international journals and edited collections about the history and memory of the First World War. 

Lorna Hughes is Professor of Digital Humanities at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Her research focuses on the creation of digital cultural heritage, and the use and re-use of digital collections for research, teaching, and public engagement.

Chris Kempshall is a public historian and the current President of the International Society for First World War Studies. He has written widely on the First World War, the portrayal of warfare in computer games, and the use of history in the Star Wars franchise.

James Wallis is currently the (Acting) Head of Commemorations Casework at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Between 2017 and 2021, James acted as Research Fellow on the ‘Reflections on the Centenary of the First World War’ project, based at the University of Essex.