When researching our World War I ancestors it’s often the men’s war that we know most about – the sons, brothers, fathers and uncles caught up in the confiict – and, to a lesser extent, the war work undertaken by women. But what about the mums who were left behind, enduring the dreadful wait for news, fearing the worst, while trying to look after the family and run the home? As Mother’s Day approaches, Jacqueline Wadsworth investigates this hidden social history of the Great War

FINDING YOUR FEMALE STORIES

Jacqueline Wadsworth

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A lot has been written about the part women played in the First World War – in factories, on farms, in hospitals and even at the Front. But little attention has been paid to the women who, arguably, had the hardest job of all – staying at home to look after their families.

When husbands and sons went off to fight, the responsibility for the household fell entirely on their shoulders. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, paying the bills and looking after the children was a full-time job with little reward, made all the more difficult by the ever-present fear that loved ones may never return.

For four long years the mothers of Britain soldiered on as best they could to keep the home fires burning. Now, after decades in the shadows, they too deserve to have their voices heard before the Great War Centenary is over this November.

Letters home