Ordnance: Equipping the British Army for the Great War

Meet the author Philip Hamlyn Williams who will be signing copies of his new book, 'Ordnance'.

Published by The History Press, 'Ordnance' is the story of the many civilian men and women who risked their lives to equip the British Army in all theatres of the First World War. 

The book includes the stories of female shell fillers, nicknamed ‘canaries’ because the toxic material they handled turned their skin yellow and their hair green. It also features the engineers and logisticians brought back from the front to oversee the massive task of sourcing raw materials, finding manufacturers and working out how to transport, store and distribute arms.

Using first-hand accounts, unpublished diaries, and archive material, Philip Hamlyn Williams tells the fascinating story of this vital aspect of the war.

Drop in to The Shop between 11am and 1pm.