Through this project, which worked in partnership with local museums and with support from Everyday Lives in War Engagement Centre, local people became the historians of their towns and villages, undertaking first-hand research into the wartime experiences of local people.

Volunteers researched thousands of stories of people from the county who served on the Western Front and the Home Front. In addition to soldiers, they found out about Conscientious Objectors, women and the Belgian refugees who made Hertfordshire their home.

The research and archival material collected was shared widely with communities across the county through a touring exhibition, events, outreach to schools and education resources.

The website collated all the stories and resources unearthed by volunteers and researchers and also promoted events and activities.

The temporary exhibition toured several locations: one section provided an overall narrative about the county’s experience of the war and the second section drew together the stories linked to the particular exhibition location. Volunteers engaged the public with what they had discovered at the exhibition and by running workshops.