Wolverhampton and the Great War

Peace, Celebrations and Remembrance

After four long years the war that was to be 'over by Christmas' finally ended with Germany's surrender.

Extract from Express and Star, 11th November 1918

The end of the war was greeted with a mixture of relief, happiness, sorrow and thanksgiving. Churches all over Wolverhampton had their own Thanksgiving Services.

Bilston celebrates peace with a luncheon for ex-servicemen (C-UD-BIL/2/5/1)

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Extracts from Express and Star, 12th-13th November 1918

There was singing and dancing in the streets of Wolverhampton as the citizens celebrated the end of a war which had touched all their lives.

However not all news received was good news as Belgian refugee Peter Van Cleven was to hear. The extract from the Express and Star (above left) tells of how one of his sons was killed just a few days before the war ended.

On the evening of 18th & 19th March 1919 a dinner was held by the proprietors of the Express and Star for all of the returning prisoners of war from Wolverhampton and the Black Country - a total of 913 servicemen.

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(DX-707/1)

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Peace celebrations, 21 July 1919 (V6/PEA/2)

After the war had ended the Borough of Wolverhampton decided that the best way to remember the fallen was through a
Roll of Remembrance. A War Memorial Committee was established in 1919 and a roll of honour, giving details of over 1,700 men from the town who were killed, was produced.

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Wolverhampton Roll of Remembrance (DX-80/1)

Extract from Roll of Remembrance (DX-80/1)

A large number of memorials were erected around the Borough and a variety of organisations - schools, churches and businesses - created rolls of honour as a permanent record of the many who had given their lives.

Penn Fields War Memorial (U1/PENN/1)