To mark the centenary of the First World War, the Arts and Humanities Research Council has funded five First World War engagement centres which connect communities with researchers from universities. The centres can support First World War research by:

• Providing support for community projects, including those funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
• Connecting projects with academic advisers.
• Recommending archives and resources.
• Advising on documenting and sharing research findings.
• Coordinating training and events.
• Promoting First World War centenary projects.
• Sharing stories about the First World War.

Each of the five engagement centres focuses on a number of key themes relating to the First World War and its legacies, so whatever the subject of your project there should be somebody to help.

The centres bring together teams of researchers from all over the UK who are keen to get involved with projects, share their knowledge, and support communities who are commemorating the centenary of the First World War.

Our local centre is the CENTRE FOR HIDDEN HISTORIES based at the University of Nottingham which looks at the experience of different ethnic, faith and national groups in the years 1914-1918 and the impact that the war had, and continues to have, on the diverse communities of modern Britain. The aim is to help spread a broader understanding of the First World War as a global conflict and help groups excluded from established mainstream coverage to explore and share their stories.

The Centre’s themes include race, empire, migration and displacement, independence movements, remembrance and commemoration, contrasting national and community memories of the war.

The Centre is keen to work with a diverse range of community groups including those from Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, West Indian/Caribbean, Eastern European and Jewish communities. Support is available to groups that wish to carry out projects related to the war in partnership with professional researchers. Current projects include investigations into the experience of Punjabi communities, the internment of British Germans in the UK and the variety of experiences of people from Eastern Europe.

For more information have a look at CENTRE FOR HIDDEN HISTORIES