Category: Cheltenham At War
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Cheltenham and the other pandemic – the Spanish ‘Flu
Many commentators today are likening the Covid-19 pandemic to that of the Spanish flu which hit the world in 1917-1920. It was named as neutral Spain had no need to censor its newspapers and therefore the first reports of the ‘flu appeared in Spanish newspapers, particularly as the Spanish King Alfonso XIII was seriously…
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Slippers for soldiers
THE COUNTY COBBLERS and THE BELGRAVIA WORKROOMS No 8 Queen’s Parade, Cheltenham was home to the Gloucester County Association for Voluntary Organisations – a house lent by the Mayor William Nash Skillicorne and his sister Edith. One of the tasks carried out here was the cutting out and construction of slippers for men at rest…
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Recognition for WW1 Projection
Last Friday, Cheltenham Borough Council, along with some key partners, attended the Audio Visual awards in London. The Cheltenham Remembers projection was nominated for public sector project of the year and we were up against some big international names! We were pipped to the post by the European Parliament. It was a fascinating evening and…
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John Chandler : Cheltenham’s Forgotten WW1 Inventor
The First World War sparked innovation in medicine and technology at a rate unseen in almost any other period of history. The work of talented metalworker and inventor John Chandler is today largely forgotten but the legacies of his inventions live on. John Edgar Chandler was born in Cheltenham in 1873. A new documentary film…
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Remarkable Women of Cheltenham – Part 1
Extracts from Cheltenham in the Great War by Neela Mann (2016, The History Press) “Cheltenham’s Prisoners of War and two remarkable ladies The large basement at Dumfries House, in Bayshill (now County House) became the source of a life line to 197 Prisoners of War (POWs) from Cheltenham. The house was the home of Mrs…
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New WW1 Resources
A fascinating glimpse into life in Cheltenham during the First World War. The gallery below shows a small selection of the material relating to WW1 held at Cheltenham Local & Family History Library (Chester Walk, Cheltenham GL50 3JT). You can also view several wartime programmes and leaflets from their collection by visiting our new WW1…
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The Cheltenham Aviation Industry
H.H. Martin was a Cheltenham based company that originally specialised in architectural decoration. During the First World War, the company developed; and in early 1918 the Gloucestershire aircraft company was formed. Thus beginning the thriving aviation industry in Cheltenham. By April 1918, approximately 45 aircraft were being made in Cheltenham every week. Much of this…
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Gustav Holst’s WW1: With the Salonika Forces
An exhibition at the Holst Birthplace Museum exploring how Holst taught music to soldiers in Salonika and Constantinople during WW1. Exhibition 10th July – 15th December 2018.
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Leave your thoughts at the ‘Listening Stations’
Marking the 100 years since the end of World War One, residents and visitors will see ‘Listening Stations’ popping up around the town as part of the Cheltenham Remembers project. https://thelisteningstationcheltenham.tumblr.com. A year-long arts programme of community engagement is focusing on the significance of World War One. As part of this the ‘Listening Stations’ are being…
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RAF 100 Exhibition
If you missed out on visiting the exhibition at the Jet Age Museum (created by the RAF Association for Cheltenham Remembers), you can still watch this video which gives an overview of the story behind the formation of the RAF in 1918 and the development of the local aviation industry in Cheltenham during the First…