WW1 Centenary
To mark the centenary, we have created this shared channel to capture World War One stories, resources and activities from Oxford.
'People' gives voice to the wartime experiences of different Oxford fellows and townspeople. 'Places' describes different or unusual wartime functions of the city's landmarks during war. 'WW1 Oxford Resources' gives an outline of the different research projects and resources the University has been involved in, to keep the memory of the War current, accurate and accessible. 'Videos & podcasts' compiles our audiovisual material produced by the University on World War One and includes our ongoing YouTube series 'Oxford & the Great War.'
This project was partially funded by the Van Houten Bequest to "bring together local centenary activities, recount the narratives of life in Oxford from 1914 to 1918 and bring to the fore the University's groundbreaking First World War research, educational resourced and digital collections." (Text taken from the language of the original application). More information on the collaborative centenary project.
A selection of Oxford places with a specific wartime function
Click on a pin to find out more
Archived Events
June 2019
19-21 June 2019 – international conference: 'A World Transformed: The First World War and its Legacy', to be hosted by the Rothermere American Institute. Funded by the Rothermere Foundation, the AHRC, the Humanities Division's John Fell Fund, and the History Faculty's Sanderson Fund.
- The conference will showcase the GLGW research produced by two externally funded projects, postdocs, graduate students, and external collaborators.
- Four plenaries – ‘The Harmsworth Centenary Lectures’ – will be given by Professor Sir Hew Strachan, Professor Margaret Macmillan, Professor John Horne, and Dr Adrian Gregory.
- The conference will be accompanied by a small exhibition on the lives and the ultimate sacrifices made by Capt. H. Vyvyan and Lt. Vere Harmsworth during the First World War.
22 June 2019 – 'Oxford: The War and the World, 1914-1919' public engagement day. A day of talks by Oxford University academics and Oxford local historians, venue TBC. Funded by the Rothermere Foundation, the AHRC, the Humanities Division's John Fell Fund, and the History Faculty's Sanderson Fund.
November 2018
1 November 2018-31 July 2019 – mini-exhibition: 'Oxford: The War and the World, 1914-1919'. The exhibition will showcase the lives of 12 Oxford individuals – 6 men, 6 women, a combination of town and gown – who are illustrative of the impact of the First World War, both in Oxford and abroad. Funded by the AHRC, the Humanities Division's John Fell Fund, the History Faculty's Sanderson Fund, and the Oxfordshire Local History Association.
It will tour 5 venues as follows:
- Somerville College: 1-29 November 2018
- Rumble Museum, Cheney School, Headington: 1-20 December 2018
- Cowley Public Library: 22 December 2018 - 30 January 2019
- Westgate Public Library: 1-28 February 2019
- Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO): 19 March - 31 July 2019
2 November 2018 – 'Oxford: The War and the World, 1914-1919' public engagement day. A day of talks by Oxford University academics and Oxford local historians, Somerville College. Funded by the Rothermere Foundation, the AHRC, the Humanities Division's John Fell Fund, and the History Faculty's Sanderson Fund.
8 November 2018, 19.00-21.00 – The Harold Vyvyan Alfred and Vere Harmsworth Memorial Lecture: ‘Armageddon: The First World War as Millenarian Moment’, Pichette Auditorium, Pembroke College. Funded by the Rothermere Foundation and Pembroke College.
April 2018
Thursday 12th April to Sunday 15th April 2018 - Christ Church Special Interest Event; Their War and Ours; The Impact of the Great War on Society - Christ Church
Tuesdays: 17th April - 19th June, 2.00pm - 4.00pm - The Origins and Outbreak of the First World War - A 10-week course, Applications being accepted - Department for Continuing Education
February 2018
Tuesdays: 6th February - 13th March, 11.00am - 12.30pm - The Great War and its aftermath: 1918-1922 - A 6-lecture series, Applications being accepted - Department for Continuing Education
November 2017
Monday 6th November - The Indian Army in the First World War: an Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire perspective - a touring exhibition starting at Wycombe Museum
Friday 10th November 2017, 2.00-5.00pm - Lest We Forget: World War One Collection Day - Rumble Museum at Cheney School
Saturday 11th November 2017, 2.00pm - World War One Walking Tour - Museum of the History of Science
October 2017
28th October to 26th November 2017 - Passchendaele: 100 years on - Blackwell Hall, Weston Library
May 2017
Tuesday 9th May , 4pm - America and the Treaty of Versailles - Public lecture, Professor Margaret MacMillan, St Antony’s College, Rothermere American Institute
Thursday 18th May, 7:30pm - The Battle of the Somme & Symphony No. 3 - screening of the original 1916 film, Sheldonian Theatre
April 2017
Tuesday 25th April, 4pm - The Nye Commission and America’s Entry into World War One - Public lecture, Dr Christopher Capozzola, MIT, Rothermere American Institute
March 2017
Friday 17th March, 6pm - Meeting in No Man’s Land - Film screening, Ruskin School of Art, Bullingdon Road studios
February 2017
Tuesday 7th February, 4pm - "Deeds Not Words": American Social Justice Movements and World War One - Public Lecture, Professor Jennifer Keene (Chapman University), Rothermere American Institute
Tuesday 28th February, 4pm - ‘O Say Can You See?' Art, Propaganda and the First World War - Public lecture, Professor David Lubin (Wake Forest University), Rothermere American Institute
November 2016
10th and 11th November, The 9th Conference of the International Society for First World War Studies, War Time
12 November, WWI Roadshow - share your family memories and local history
October 2016
3rd October, Talk - We Will Not Fight - The Old Museum, Museum of Oxford
September 2016
10th and 11th September, Oxford Open Doors Weekend
15th September. Talk - Port Meadow: The Forgotten Aerodrome
August 2016
8th August, Oxford 1914-1918 Family Day - The Old Museum, Museum of Oxford
July 2016
3rd July, Oxford in the Great War walking tour, Museum of the History of Science
10th July from 2pm, ‘Through the Lens: Oxfordshire and the First World War’ exhibition plus an afternoon of family friendly activities, the Oxford Castle Quarter, Key Learning Centre. See also http://fetedaythings.tumblr.com/
Wednesday 13th July, “‘No joke, that': the Allied military campaign in North Russia, 1917-1920" - talk by Chris Baker. SOFO Museum
16th July, Film Screening: The Battle of the Somme, Pitt Rivers Museum
16th July - 8th October 2016, Exhibition - Oxford's Great War - Museum of Oxford
16th July - 8th October 2016, Oxford 1914-1918 Family Gallery Trail
16th July, Talk - 66 Men of Grandpont 1914-18. The Old Museum, Museum of Oxford
November 2015
Thursday 5th November, 5.30-7pm, Poetic Battlefields: The First World War in Poetry, Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda's College
Tuesday 10th November, 2-5pm, 'Wikipedia: World War 1 edit-a-thon', IT services course, 13 Banbury Rd
September 2015
Saturday 19th September, 12-4pm, 'Big Draw: X-Ray line', family friendly, Museum of the History of Science
Wednesday 23rd September 2015 - Saturday 16th January 2016, 'Artists Under Fire', exhibition, Ashmolean Museum Broadway
Saturday 26th September, 1-4pm, 'Remembering the Great War', public reminiscence day, Museum of the History of Science
August 2015
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August, 12-4pm, 'Signals and Semaphores', family friendly, Museum of the History of Science
Tuesday 25th August, 'Harry's Nobel Prize', public lecture, Museum of the History of Science
June 2015
Saturday 13th June, 10.30am-5.30pm, 'Physics and the Great War', 1 day conference, St Cross College, University of Oxford