War Commemoration and Civic Culture in the North East of England, 1854–1914

“This study of the creation of war memorials from the 1850s to 1914 is well-organized and well-written. An original contribution to the cultural history of the North East and of war memorials tout court, there are points of discovery which will arrest readers throughout. It will be well received by the scholarly community.”

—Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University, USA

“A sure-footed contribution to human knowledge in an area currently devoid of recent literature.”

—Nick Mansfield, Professor of History, UCLan, UK

This book examines a diverse set of civic war memorials in North East England commemorating three clusters of conflicts: the Crimean War and Indian Rebellion in the 1850s; the ‘small wars’ of the 1880s; and the Boer War from 1899 to 1902. Encompassing a protracted timeframe and embracing disparate social, political and cultural contexts, it analyses how and why war memorials and commemorative practices changed during this key period of social transition and imperial expansion. In assessing the motivations of the memorial organisers and the narratives they sought to convey, the author argues that developments in war commemoration were primarily influenced by – and reflected – broader socio-economic and political transformations occurring in nineteenth-century and early twentieth century Britain.

Guy Hinton completed his PhD at Newcastle University, where he also taught British history and concepts of historiographical research. He has written on popular reactions to the Boer War and spoken at numerous academic conferences and to the wider community. Before returning to academia, Guy worked for fifteen years in the cultural sector.